ACLU Sues: Abusive Treatment Of Transgender Asylum Seeker in U.S.A.

by Melanie Nathan, Dec 11, 2011

ELOY DETENTION CENTER ARIZONA

Paul Canning  from the United Kingdom has reported to O- Blog-dee O-Blog-da about a recent ACLU lawsuit:-

The appalling treatment of a transgender asylum seeker held in US detention has drawn a lawsuit from the ACLU. The suit is against the federal government, local government and Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) and charges that they failed to protect Tanya Guzman-Martinez from sexual violence, assault and other mistreatment.

Guzman-Martinez was being held at the Eloy Detention Center in Arizona, a State known for its profiling that has resulted from its  horrific anti-immigrant policies.

She was sexually assaulted by a guard who threatened to deport her back to Mexico if she did not comply with his demands. Pinal County court records show that the guard was charged with ‘attempted unlawful sexual contact’ but was only sentenced to two days, with time served.

After the sexual assault, she was placed back in a male population rather than in a woman’s cell and suffered further abuse including another sexual assault.

The accusations, according to the ACLU court papers, include that “on one occasion, a detention officer told other detainees that they could “have her” if they gave him three soup packets.”

EDC is maintained and operated by the private Corrections Corporation of America (“CCA”) to house immigration detainees based on CCA’s contractual agreement with the City of Eloy (“Eloy”) to assume Eloy’s responsibilities in this area. Eloy had previously contracted with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) through an Inter-

Governmental Service Agreement (“IGSA”) to provide immigration detention services. ICE had continuing responsibilities to monitor the safety and well-being of detainees at EDC.

Warden Chuck DeRosa

The warden at the Center is Chuck DeRosa,  named warden at CCA’s Eloy Correctional Center in August 2009, is also cited. The detention resulting in the alleged events in question occurred in September 2009.

He previously served as the warden at CCA’s California City Correctional Center. DeRosa joined CCA in 2006 as the assistant warden at the California City Correctional Center and LaPalma Correctional Center.

He began with the Federal Bureau of Prisons in 1982 as a correctional officer at the Federal Correctional Institution in New York. He also served as a correctional officer with the Metropolitan Correctional Center; correctional officer, correctional counselor, electrical worker foreman, unit manager and special agent with the Office of Internal Affairs at FCI Phoenix; executive assistant at FCI Stafford; assistant warden at MCC; warden at Federal Prison Camp; warden, senior executive services at FCI Fort Dix; and warden at FCI Phoenix.
I suggest the Warden be examined through an investigation as well all facilities where he has previously worked.

EDC is maintained and operated by the private Corrections Corporation of America (“CCA”) to house immigration detainees based on CCA’s contractual agreement with the City of Eloy (“Eloy”) to assume Eloy’s responsibilities in this area. Eloy had previously contracted with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) through an Inter-

Governmental Service Agreement (“IGSA”) to provide immigration detention services. ICE had continuing responsibilities to monitor the safety and well-being of detainees at EDC.

See the complaint and read article by Paul Canning here… http://madikazemi.blogspot.com/2011/12/appalling-treatment-of-trans-asylum.htm