Critically Ill Detainees at Florida Immigration Jails Face Deportation to Africa

Relatives of critically ill immigration detainees at two facilities in Florida say authorities are preparing to deport them to undisclosed African countries even as their health deteriorates markedly. The flights could take off as soon as Wednesday, according to the detainees' families and the immigrant rights group Workers Circle, which has been monitoring detention conditions and communicating with people inside the two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities in South Florida.

According to Workers Circle, many detainees suffering from various conditions have been placed on emergency deportation tracks, and the organization learned of the operation only in recent days. Arianne Betancourt, the group's immigrant rights coordinator, said at a press briefing late Tuesday: "I received calls from several detainees telling me they had been brought in for interviews with deportation officers, where they were told that because of their medical conditions, Mexico would not take them, and that they would be sent to Africa." She added: "We know that once they are deported and sent to these third countries, they will not receive medical care in detention. They struggle to access medication."

The affected detainees are held at the Krome North Processing Center in Miami — found to be severely overcrowded in a government watchdog report last month — and the Broward Transitional Center in Pompano Beach. Both facilities are run by private companies on behalf of ICE.

Anisley Cortés, wife of Noslén Sendra, 41, a Cuban national, said her husband has been detained since November of last year, initially at the now-closed "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration camp and at Krome since April. He suffers from uncontrolled diabetes and acute pancreatitis that required weeks of hospitalization earlier this year. "He lost more than 50 pounds. They didn't give him his medication, they didn't provide enough food. It was a nightmare period for the whole family. He is very weak and needs proper medical care," she said.

According to Cortés, Cuba will not accept her husband as a deportee, and the family now has evidence that Mexico has also refused him because he is too ill. "They told him that since neither country would accept him, 'fine, we'll have to send you to Africa.' They said Mexico won't take him because he needs too many medications, then told him 'we have to deport you anyway,'" she said. The family now lives without certainty about his health, or whether they will see him again.

Immigration rights attorney Shalyn Fluharty said information from detainees indicates that deportation flights are imminent. "We understand that this very week, in the coming days, possibly Thursday and Friday, there will be two flights to Africa, specifically the Central African Republic, and we also believe possibly Burundi," she said.

According to Fluharty, detainees deported in the past were handcuffed, shackled at the ankles and fitted with waist belts on long flights, and some who protested were wrapped head to toe and unable to move. "Based on what we have seen before, we expect the same to happen to these people this week. The journey can last up to 24 hours. What happens to someone with heart disease, a high risk of stroke, or diabetes who needs regular access to food or insulin? These conditions make their already fragile bodies life-threatening," she said.

Asked for comment, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson requested personal information about the affected detainees. The department did not respond further after being provided with details about Sendra.

Betancourt said families risk retaliation against their relatives for speaking out. "This is not an isolated story. The inspector general's report confirms the lack of medical care inside Krome. Families have asked for oversight, and every day they face real fear when they speak up to protect their loved ones," she said.

During two unannounced inspections at Krome in May, U.S. inspectors found numerous violations of detention standards, including severe overcrowding. The report said the facility held 1,102 people against a maximum capacity of 882, which "jeopardizes the safe and orderly operation of the facility." Other violations included insufficient working toilets, sinks and showers; there were also earlier reports of female detainees forced to use toilets in front of men, and new arrivals held for more than 24 hours on buses in the parking lot because of a lack of space.

According to advocates, the large-scale immigration crackdown during President Donald Trump's second term has overwhelmed detention centers across the United States, and the Department of Homeland Security is seeking to ease the pressure by increasing deportation flights to so-called third countries. The controversial practice, upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court last month, has sent hundreds of detainees to at least a dozen African countries where they have no ties.

A Human Rights Watch report published earlier this month documented numerous cases of abusive treatment during and after such flights, as well as detainees being repressed, arbitrarily detained and tortured after arrival.