Advocates allege ‘inhumane’ conditions at Chicago-area ICE facility in new lawsuit

CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois advocates sued federal authorities Friday over alleged “inhumane” conditions at a Chicago-area immigration facility.

Attorneys with the ACLU of Illinois and the MacArthur Justice Center say U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have denied people being held at the Broadview facility private calls with attorneys and have blocked members of Congress, faith leaders and journalists from entering the building, creating a “black box” they say has allowed authorities to act “with impunity.”

Agents have also allegedly coerced people held at the processing center to sign paperwork they don’t understand, leading them to unknowingly relinquish their rights and face deportation, according to the lawsuit.

Representatives for ICE and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment Friday.

Alexa Van Brunt, director of the MacArthur Justice Center’s Illinois office and lead attorney for the lawsuit, said community members are “being kidnapped off the streets, packed in hold cells, denied food, medical care, and basic necessities, and forced to sign away their legal rights.”

“Everyone, no matter their legal status, has the right to access counsel and to not be subject to horrific and inhumane conditions,” she said.

Attorneys accuse ICE, DHS and U.S. Customs and Border Protection of violating detainees’ Fifth Amendment right to due process and First Amendment right to legal counsel, and have asked the court to force the agencies to improve the facility’s conditions.

The 76-page class action lawsuit paints a bleak picture of the facility, which attorneys say is “extremely cramped” and “smells strongly of feces, urine, and body odor,” while insects were found in the sinks and clogged toilets led to urine on the floor. One man described people lying on top of each other and in the bathroom, unable to find space to sleep.

“They treated us like animals, or worse than animals, because no one treats their pets like that,” one woman said in the lawsuit.

Several plaintiffs said they were detained at the processing center for durations ranging from a couple of days to three weeks.

Advocates have for months raised concerns about conditions at the facility, which has drawn scrutiny from members of Congress, political candidates and activist groups. Lawyers and relatives of people held there have called it a de facto detention center, saying up to 200 people have been held at a time without access to legal counsel.

DHS previously dismissed the claims, saying those held at the facility have proper meals, medical treatment and access to communication with family members and lawyers.

The Broadview center has also drawn demonstrations, which have led to the arrests of numerous protesters. The protests are at the center of a separate lawsuit from a coalition of news outlets and protesters who claim federal agents violated their First Amendment rights by repeatedly using tear gas and other weapons on them.

U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis sided with the coalition earlier this month, requiring federal agents in the Chicago area to wear badges and banning them from using certain riot control techniques against peaceful protesters and journalists. Later, Ellis also required body cameras for agents who have them after raising concerns about her initial order not being followed.

___

This story has been corrected to show the lawsuit does not allege torturous conditions.

Christine Fernando, The Associated Press