Judge Orders ICE to Fix Medical Failures After Detainee Denied Cancer Care
A federal judge has ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to improve medical care for detainees, ruling in a lawsuit that highlighted severe failures in health services at detention centers. The case involves Fernando Viera Reyes, a 51-year-old man denied a critical biopsy despite showing symptoms of possible prostate cancer. Reyes was held at an immigration detention center in California's Mojave Desert instead of receiving the medical procedure he urgently needed. He repeatedly requested a biopsy after blood appeared in his urine—a potential sign of cancer spreading. Yet months passed without action. The lawsuit, led by Kyle Virgien of the ACLU's National Prison Project, argues that ICE is failing to meet basic health standards. Detainees are not receiving initial medical screenings, routine care, or prompt responses to serious complaints. Virgien warned that the system cannot handle the rising number of sick detainees under current conditions. This case adds to broader concerns about detention center deaths. Since January 2017, at least 60 people have died in ICE custody and over 160 in Customs and Border Protection (CBP) custody, according to independent reports. Lawmakers like Rep. Henry Cuellar and Sen. Jeff Merkley have raised these issues in hearings and official letters. The judge's order now requires ICE and DHS to provide proper health care and allow external inspections. ICE and its Health Services Corps have not responded to requests for comment. The ruling forces ICE to address long-standing medical failures in detention facilities. Without reforms, the health risks for detainees will likely persist. The case also fuels political criticism of Trump's deportation policies, which have filled detention centers beyond capacity.
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