The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Batavia, New York, has been plagued by allegations of subpar medical care for detainees. An investigation by this publication found that at least a dozen detainees suffered from injuries and illnesses left untreated or inadequately treated.
One case involved Chidi Nwagbo, a Nigerian migrant who arrived at the Batavia facility in February suffering from frostbite. A doctor ordered him to see a specialist within a week, but ICE never took him to the appointment. By the time he saw another doctor 16 days later, his fingers were too far gone, and amputations were necessary.
In another case, Tim, a Nigerian man, was detained by ICE after falling down stairs and suffering a major concussion. He received only one physical therapy session and went at least a month without medication before being deported. Despite suffering from seizures, which had previously put him in a coma, Tim's dosage of anti-seizure medication was lowered by ICE.
Medical neglect has been described as "medical neglect in a legal sense" by Sophie Dalsimer, an attorney with New York Lawyers for the Public Interest. She stated that the lack of medical care and deliberate indifference to people's medical needs could rise to the level of a constitutional violation.
The Batavia facility lacks a doctor and dentist working on-site, which is unusual for a 650-bed detention center. The facility has been overcapacity due to the Trump administration's crackdown on migrants. A Department of Homeland Security inspector general report published in June noted that staffing shortages caused delays in dental and off-site specialty care.
Detainees have also reported being denied or delayed in receiving prescribed medications. For example, Sering Ceesay, a Gambian man with heart conditions, was detained by ICE after showing up for a routine immigration appointment. He went two weeks without his medication and suffered a stroke-like syndrome as a result.
Injuries often go untreated at the facility, and detainees are not properly treated for injuries or illnesses they suffer while in custody. Lansine Sidibe, a Malian man, alleged he was beaten by guards at the Batavia facility after refusing to sign some paperwork. He claimed that the guards broke his fingers, but an ICE doctor denied it.
The investigation found numerous cases of medical neglect and inadequate treatment for detainees. The findings raise serious concerns about the safety and well-being of immigrants held in ICE facilities.
One case involved Chidi Nwagbo, a Nigerian migrant who arrived at the Batavia facility in February suffering from frostbite. A doctor ordered him to see a specialist within a week, but ICE never took him to the appointment. By the time he saw another doctor 16 days later, his fingers were too far gone, and amputations were necessary.
In another case, Tim, a Nigerian man, was detained by ICE after falling down stairs and suffering a major concussion. He received only one physical therapy session and went at least a month without medication before being deported. Despite suffering from seizures, which had previously put him in a coma, Tim's dosage of anti-seizure medication was lowered by ICE.
Medical neglect has been described as "medical neglect in a legal sense" by Sophie Dalsimer, an attorney with New York Lawyers for the Public Interest. She stated that the lack of medical care and deliberate indifference to people's medical needs could rise to the level of a constitutional violation.
The Batavia facility lacks a doctor and dentist working on-site, which is unusual for a 650-bed detention center. The facility has been overcapacity due to the Trump administration's crackdown on migrants. A Department of Homeland Security inspector general report published in June noted that staffing shortages caused delays in dental and off-site specialty care.
Detainees have also reported being denied or delayed in receiving prescribed medications. For example, Sering Ceesay, a Gambian man with heart conditions, was detained by ICE after showing up for a routine immigration appointment. He went two weeks without his medication and suffered a stroke-like syndrome as a result.
Injuries often go untreated at the facility, and detainees are not properly treated for injuries or illnesses they suffer while in custody. Lansine Sidibe, a Malian man, alleged he was beaten by guards at the Batavia facility after refusing to sign some paperwork. He claimed that the guards broke his fingers, but an ICE doctor denied it.
The investigation found numerous cases of medical neglect and inadequate treatment for detainees. The findings raise serious concerns about the safety and well-being of immigrants held in ICE facilities.
OMG u guys, can't believe what's goin on at this ICE facility in Batavia, NY 
They're literally forgettin people's meds and lettin em suffer from injuries 4eva! I mean, Chidi Nwagbo was all like "hey doc i got frostbite" but NOBODY took him 2 see a specialist 
And then they had 2 amputate his fingers lol what even is that? 
and went whole month without meds 
. Like, how r u supposed 2 recover from a coma w/o ur meds? 
ICE is doin us wrong, fam 
. Detainees need proper medical care, not just some half-hearted doc comin in 2 wave their hands and be all "it's fine". Newsflash: it ain't fine when ur finger's literally gone 
, not just numbers or cases. We need change now, fam 
It's like, yeah, you've got a 650-bed detention center that's basically understaffed and under-resourced... but at what cost? Human lives are being put at risk here. 
It's time for some serious reform around medical care in these facilities - we can't keep turning a blind eye to this stuff. 
. And what's up with these detentions where people are gonna have seizures or get concussions and no one's doing anything about it? It's like they're just waiting for someone to die so they can say "we did our job" 
.
It's like they're not even taking his medical issues seriously.
ice facility in batavia is a nightmare