Denying Crucial Care

My friend Martha over at This is Everything posted a great piece on her tumblr from an article in The LA Times that was written back in June of 2008.  It may be an old article but with all the health care news as of late it seems like a good time to remind people of the below fact:

"Unlike federal and state prisons, immigrant detention centers, many of which are run by private contractors, are not legally mandated to abide by any healthcare standards when it comes to treating sick immigrants. Civil and immigrant rights groups have filed suit in New York to force federal officials to issue such rules, but the Department of Homeland Security, which has jurisdiction in the matter, has yet to produce them. In the absence of legally binding standards, detained immigrants…have no legal way to complain about the lax healthcare they receive at the facilities where they are held. They cannot appeal the denial of care or sue in federal court to obtain it.

What medical care is available is often delayed, or denied, while doctors and nurses at the facilities await approval from officials in Washington, who can deny crucial care without explanation."

Seems like a good reminder to TakePart in immigrant detention issues--which you can do with The Visitor in the "act" section of this post.