Immigrant advocates are demanding U.S. immigration officials not deport a group of Black migrants being held at Prairieland Detention Center south of Fort Worth.
Instead, they want federal officials to investigate allegations from eight men who say they were physically abused and threatened while previously detained at Adams County Correctional Facility in Natchez, Mississippi.
On Oct. 7, the Southern Poverty Law Center and the advocacy group Freedom for Immigrants filed a complaint with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and officials at Department of Homeland Security, including DHS Inspector General.
The complaint alleges that ICE officers, guards and the facility administrator at Adams County Correctional Center 鈥渢ortured Cameroonian individuals in attempts to coerce them to sign immigration documents through pressure, threats and 鈥� in several cases 鈥� excessive use of force, including physical abuse and pepper spray, resulting in severe injury.鈥�
Details include detainees鈥� fingerprints being forcibly taken while handcuffed and the fingers of a man being broken. The men allege that some of these incidents were filmed by guards on site.
The complaint also raises concerns that travel documents for the men 鈥渕ay not be authentic or legally valid.鈥�
Sofia Casini, Director of Advocacy Strategies at Freedom for Immigrants, said the lives of these migrants are at stake if they return to their native Cameroon where there has been ongoing .
鈥淲hat鈥檚 happened inside of ICE detention is these Cameroonians are being absolutely denied their safety across the board and it鈥檚 racism if you鈥檙e looking at the approval rates for other countries and Black migrants,鈥� Casini said. 鈥淭hey historically have far lower rates of approval.鈥�
Casini said all of the detainees鈥� reports about their experiences were taken independently and line up with complaints Freedom for Immigrants has received on its confidential hotline. Numerous calls came from detainees in Louisiana, Mississippi and California, who said they were being transferred to another detention center and scheduled for deportation.
Casini said in recent days the hotline has received a flood of calls from detainees inside Prairieland Detention Center.
四虎影院 reached out to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Monday, but has not heard back.
Casini said most of the migrants being detained came across the U.S. border asking for asylum.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 essential that communities witness what鈥檚 about to take place,鈥� Casini said. 鈥淭hese men and women are fighting for their life. If they are sent back to Cameroon, we do believe the Cameroonian government will know that they are arriving as one large group and will take steps immediately to re-detain and torture them and kill many of them.鈥�
Read the full complaint filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center and Freedom for Immigrants.
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