Immigrants in Detention Negotiate to Improve Conditions at Suffolk

Nearly 40 immigrants detained by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the Suffolk County House of Corrections in Boston are now in negotiations to address substandard and unsanitary prison conditions.  They presented a letter to corrections officials with a list of demands on Tuesday, September 24, stating that if their demands were not met they would call a hunger strike. The strikers demands include:

• Improve food safety: Trays, dishes and utensils are poorly cleaned.  Many detainees have recently been diagnosed with stomach ulcers caused by infection with the H. pylori bacterium.  They believe this infection is being spread by poor sanitation. 
• Equalize access to programs and services:  Unlike other detainees, immigrants held in ICE detention do not have access to the prison's law library.  The need for access is crucial, as detainees are currently required to spend most of their days locked in their cells, often with the lights turned off, and only have one television in the recreation area.
• Support visitation rights: Immigrants are often transferred to facilities far from their families, making visitation prohibitive.  Right now, the detainee must place the prospective visitor on a list and this person must go to the detention center office - even if it is out of state - to pick up a form.  Then they're required to fill out and mail the form for permission to visit, a process which takes three weeks.