Luz Michelle Colón, director of people and programs with IAJE, spoke on behalf of the coalition, emphasizing that individuals held inside the facility must be treated with basic human dignity. She noted that immigrant families across Mississippi are living in constant anxiety amid heightened enforcement activities.
“There is a real fear that is rampant throughout Mississippi amongst the immigrant community. You have people who are not going to work, folks afraid to go to the doctor,” Colón said. “The immigrant community in Mississippi is afraid to live, to exist, for fear of being accosted by law enforcement. This is something that is impacting all of Mississippi. They’re having to be there and exist in inhumane conditions. And it’s just not right.”
Heather Alambarrio’s husband, Jose Raphael Alambarrio, has been held at the Adams County facility since March. He was detained during a routine check-in while awaiting proceedings on an asylum application submitted after fleeing Venezuela. Heather Alambarrio recently attended a vigil outside the facility grounds.
“When I told him there were people outside holding a vigil, it really touched his heart and brought tears to his eyes because sometimes on the inside, they feel forgotten,” she said. “And they feel like people hate them or they feel invisible.”
Alambarrio, a schoolteacher in Texas, described the severe emotional and financial strain of managing household expenses alone while her husband is detained nearly seven hours away.
“There was one unit where it was over a week, and they had participated in a protest about the conditions and they were not allowed to call their significant others for a week as a consequence,” she said.
CoreCivic, the private prison operator managing the facility, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have disputed several of the claims. Representatives stated that allegations of inadequate medical care, unaddressed gas leaks, and tuberculosis outbreaks are unfounded, adding that full operations resumed Aug. 24 following an external incident.
In a statement to MPB, an ICE representative said a fire involving an exterior natural gas storage unit occurred outside the facility Aug. 22. The agency reported no injuries and stated operations normalized two days later.
An ICE spokesperson added: “Being in detention is a choice. We encourage all illegal aliens to take control of their departure with the CBP Home App. The United States is offering illegal aliens $3,000 and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right legal way to live the American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return.”
Colón pushed back against the agency’s characterization.
“We would like to say that the Nuestro Coalition vehemently opposes comments that suggest ‘being in the detention center is a choice,’” Colón said. “This is not a choice for those subjected to immigration detention. The consequences are imposed by government authority and can profoundly affect individuals and their families.”
Steve Owen, a spokesperson for CoreCivic, said the facility remains fully staffed and operates in accordance with its Human Rights Policy.
In a written statement, Owen said:
“This allegation is false. While several detainees thought they may have smelled something related to a natural gas leak, none of our staff members detected anything along these lines. Out of an abundance of caution, an on-call facility maintenance staff member came in to assess the facility for any possible gas leaks, and none were found.”
Owen added: “There are no cases of tuberculosis (TB) at ACCC, nor has anyone been refused medical treatment. We are committed to providing safe, humane and respectful care for everyone entrusted to us. We take seriously our obligation to adhere to all applicable federal detention standards and will continue to ensure that all detainees receive appropriate and timely medical attention, whether as a direct provider of health services or in coordination with ICE’s Health Services Corp (IHSC) in facilities where they provide medical care.”
Advocates are calling on elected officials to conduct unsupervised visits of the facility and demanding increased transparency from CoreCivic regarding operational standards.
“Every person deserves dignity, due process, and humane treatment,” Colón said.
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