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January 19, 2009
ICE to terminate agreement to house detainees at Wyatt RI Detention Facility
ICE to terminate agreement to house detainees at Wyatt
Detention Facility
January 15, 2009
http://www.ice.gov/pi/nr/0901/090115washington.htm
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) has notified the Central Falls Detention
Facility Corporation of the agency's intention to terminate the
agreement to house detainees at the Donald Wyatt Detention
Facility in Rhode Island. ICE will terminate the agreement
effective 60 days from Friday, January 16, 2009. Due to an
investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of
Mr. Hiu Lui Ng at Wyatt, ICE took precautions and promptly
ceased sending additional detainees to the Wyatt contract
facility and quickly relocated the remaining 153 ICE detainees
from the facility in December 2008.
The investigation, which was completed on January 12, 2009,
revealed a consistent lack of communication regarding Mr. Ng's
healthcare needs between medical and security personnel at
Wyatt. The investigation also revealed that there were
instances of non-compliance by Wyatt contract personnel with
the ICE National Detention Standards and multiple failures to
adhere to the facility's rules and policy. As part of the
investigation, ICE reviewed the policies and procedures used by
Wyatt to evaluate the health care needs of Mr. Ng and to
provide him with access to health care. ICE further reviewed
the procedures used to distribute medication to detainees and
the use of wheelchairs to assist in the transportation of
detainees, including Mr. Ng.
ICE's Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) found that
contract personnel at Wyatt failed to provide Mr. Ng a
wheelchair on a number of occasions, resulting in Mr. Ng
effectively being denied access to his counsel as well as to a
medical appointment. ICE OPR also found that the facility
guards and medical staff failed to adhere to the facility's use
of force policy.
ICE strives to maintain safe, secure and humane detention
conditions and quality health care. We make every effort to
enforce all existing standards and whenever possible, to
improve upon them. ICE requires that all facilities housing
detainees meet our National Detention Standards, which meet or
exceed industry standards. When we find that our standards are
not being met by contract facilities, we take immediate action
to ensure the safety and well being of all ICE detainees.
-- ICE --
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was established
in March 2003 as the largest investigative arm of the
Department of Homeland Security. ICE is comprised of five
integrated divisions that form a 21st century law enforcement
agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland
security priorities.
Posted by lois at January 19, 2009 11:15 PM