The Times reports:
He lived 42 of his 48 years in the United States, and had the words "Raised American" tattooed on his shoulder. But Guido R. Newbrough was born German, and he died in November as an immigration detainee of a Virginia jail, his heart devastated by an overwhelming bacterial infection.
His family and fellow detainees say the infection went untreated, despite his mounting pleas for medical care in the 10 days before his death. Instead, after his calls for help grew insistent, detainees said, guards at the Piedmont Regional Jail in Farmville, Va., threw him to the floor, dragged him away as he cried out in pain, and locked him in an isolation cell.
The story of Mr. Newbrough's final days is already too familiar: jail officers ignoring detainees' pleas for help, fellow detainees rallying to support and care for a dying cellmate, and actual physical abuse by officers. These same stories have played out for other immigrants who have lost their lives in detention, including Hiu Lui Ng, Francisco Castaneda, Ana Romero, and dozens of others.
The same town where Mr. Newbrough died is currently in discussions with Immigration Centers of America (ICA) to construct a new 1,000 bed, for-profit immigrant detention center. Members of a local community group that has opposed the private jail facility, The People United, told The Times they received calls from detainees who had witnessed Mr. Newbrough's medical deterioration and abuse. Following reports of the man's death, the group has heightened its opposition to the construction of a new detention facility. According to a press release from the group:
News of the planned detention center has fueled the fear growing among Virginia's immigrant families in the wake of increased ICE jobsite raids over the past year. "Immigrants are here looking for work in order to feed their children," Said Margarita Gonzales, a native of Mexico, as she addressed the Farmville Town Council last month. "It's not necessary to put us in jail. . . We hope that you will leave us to live in peace. We're only trying to create secure lives for ourselves, just as you are."
ICA has promised a windfall to Farmville's economy, but advocates warn this may not pan out. "Last month, ICE cancelled its contract with a detention center in Wyatt, RI after a scandal surrounding a death similar to Guido Newborough's erupted there," said Winder. "Farmville could find itself in the same situation - with a brand-new jail that sits empty and the reputation of a prison town where suspicious deaths have occurred."
Why does ICE continue to treat these deaths as isolated incidents when it is clear that they are consequences of a well-documented widespread breakdown of our country's immigration system? The Obama administration and Congress must take action to repair this system quickly. In the meantime, it is good to know that The Times remains dedicated to bringing these deaths to light.