Justice?

Can justice come for a brutal death of a trans woman who was murdered while in custody of ICE?

Activists Allege Assault, Abuse In Death Of Transgender Asylum Seeker
KPBS
By Andrew Bowen
November 26, 2018

Transgender and immigrant rights activists Monday announced plans for a lawsuit over the death of Roxsana Hernandez, a trans asylum seeker from Honduras who died in government custody, alleging she endured "assault and abuse" before her death six months ago.

Hernandez, 33, entered the United States legally at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in May and was eventually transferred to a unit for transgender detainees at the Cibola County Correctional Center in New Mexico. Activists say she was seeking asylum and that the legal aid group Al Otro Lado was planning to represent her claim.

One day after arriving in New Mexico, Hernandez was hospitalized with symptoms of pneumonia, dehydration and complications from HIV, according to a press release from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She died May 25. The press release properly referred to Hernandez with female pronouns but did not use her chosen first name of Roxsana.
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"According to an independent autopsy report, Ms. Hernandez endured physical assault and abuse while in custody," the letter says. "Specifically, forensic evidence indicates she was handcuffed so tightly as to cause deep tissue bruising and struck repeatedly on the back and rib cage by an (ASP baton) or similar instrument while her hands were restrained behind her back."

Andrew Free, an immigration attorney partnering on the case with the Transgender Law Center, said the group would file a similar wrongful death claim against ICE before the end of the year. He said they are also litigating Freedom of Information Act requests related to Hernandez's death.

"They treated her like an animal," said Transgender Law Center Deputy Director Isa Noyola, reading from a statement from Hernandez's sisters. "Now all we have left with us is the hope that we can see justice for her."

I can’t imagine the pain and suffering that she want though before her death and the hands of our government.

The prison was run by a private company for our government with little oversite and for low wages to maximize profits.

The Cibola County Correctional Center is run by the private, for-profit prison corporation CoreCivic.

At least 11 people have died in ICE custody in 2018. The agency announced the latest death on Monday — that of Russian national Mergensana Amar, who officials say attempted suicide Nov. 15 and was removed from life support after his brain activity ceased.

A report released earlier this year by a coalition of advocacy groups found half of the in-custody deaths reported by ICE in recent years were linked to substandard medical care. ICE responded saying the agency is committed to ensuring all detainees receive timely access to medical services and treatment.

The Transgender Law Center said,

Advocates point to the conditions Udoka Nweke faced when he presented himself for asylum also at SYPOE in December 2016. He was detained for nearly two years before being released in September after being held in solitary confinement and attempting suicide. His testimony upon being released from Adelanto Detention Facility corroborated a scathing report by Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General that points towards a drastic overhaul necessary in Adelanto. The report listed as areas of concern:

• Nooses in Detainee Cells
• Improper and Overly Restrictive Segregation
• Untimely and Inadequate Detainee Medical Care

“Immigration prisons are teeming with human rights violations,” said civil rights attorney Andrew Free. “From forced labor to inadequate access to medical care, they are horrific places to lock people up. We have requested records from the relevant federal agencies regarding  the conditions Roxsana was kept in under the Freedom for Information Act. In the next few weeks, if they do not turn over those files we will be filing a suit against them. We will not rest until those responsible for Roxsana’s suffering are held to account, and until the systems of oppression that gave rise to her suffering are abolished.”

This is what is going on in the Trump administration with human rights violations and totally ignoring the laws and the Constitution.