Stories from Broadview

“The officers treated us terribly. They used obscenities and insults against us. When we asked for necessities of life, they would insult us or ignore us. They often laughed at detainees and made light of our suffering. The conditions at Broadview were devastating for me. At one point I thought that I would rather die than have to stay there any longer. People detained at Broadview are desperate.” -Detainee 

“No one told me why I was there or what my rights were. I felt like I had been kidnapped. I did not feel safe.” -Detainee 

“I was lucky to only be at Broadview from Thursday to Sunday. I talked to people who had arrived before me, on Monday or Tuesday, and they were still there when I was transferred out.” -Detainee 

“They did not have a warrant or probable cause; they arrested [my client] because he is Latino. I have been practicing immigration law for 40 years and have never experienced anything like what is going on at Broadview.” -Immigration Attorney 

“Over the years, we built relationships with the individuals who worked for ICE and DHS, both at Broadview and in Washington D.C. I used to be able to call them and have rational discussions over disagreements. Officers would call us when they were releasing individuals who needed housing or other support. However, all of that has stopped with this administration. Faith leaders are not permitted to provide pastoral care to people detained inside Broadview. We are denied all access to the facility.” -Faith Leader 

Access to Food, Water, and Medical Care: 

“After the third day, there were more people in the holding rooms and people were banging on the walls to try to get more food. The Broadview staff became annoyed, and they started giving us less food. I believe, based on the behavior of the officials, that they gave us less food as retaliation and punishment. I recall that an officer who appeared to be in charge would belittle me and other detainees when we asked for things like food, blankets, hygienic items or medicine. I recall that at one point he said something to the effect that he did not ask us to come to the United States, so why were we asking for things” -Detainee 

“Officers only gave me one bottle of water with each sandwich. The officers did not give us any more water, so we had to save our water to try to make it last. I was very thirsty because I did not get enough water.” -Detainee

“At Broadview, my elderly client was confined in a small holding cell with many people for four . She told me the room was very cold and had bright lights on all day and night. Despite her medical conditions, she was only given sandwiches for every meal.” -Immigration Attorney

“My client takes medication for high blood pressure. During his four days at Broadview, ICE did not give him his medication. His family dropped off a duffel bag of his belongings at Broadview, which included his prescription medication. ICE never provided him with this medication. He did not receive the duffel bag until he was released from ICE custody.” -Immigration Attorney

“The conditions at Broadview were truly horrible. We were treated terribly by the officials there. The officers did not give us enough water. On one of the days I was there, they did not give us any water for 13 hours straight. We were asking the officers for water. The officers heard us but pretended like they weren’t listening and ignored us for 13 hours.” -Detainee

Overcrowding, Cell Conditions, and Lack of Privacy: 

“The room was extremely overcrowded. There were around 40 or 50 people inside the room. The room was maybe 3.5 meters long and 3.5 meters wide. There was not enough room for all of the people in my holding cell to sleep properly. People had to sleep curled up in order not to touch other people. If one person stretched, they would hit someone else.” -Detainee 

“My client told me he felt lucky to be alive by the time he left Broadview. At Broadview, he only received one cold meal a day. The holding room was very crowded and cold. There were no beds, and he was forced to attempt to sleep on the floor. There were no working showers available, and the toilets were shared with many individuals.” – Immigration Attorney 

“The conditions at Broadview were horrible. The officers treated all of us like savage animals.” -Detainee 

“The conditions inside the Broadview Detention Center were so inhumane that [my client] couldn’t bear it. He described people being carried out on stretchers; he wasn’t sure whether they were alive or dead. Detainees were not allowed to drink water. The air was thick and suffocating. He said people were gasping for breath, and he saw some going into cardiac arrest.” -Immigration Attorney

“There was no privacy at all. Everyone could see others using the toilet. I saw some a man get sick and vomit in and around the toilet. The man received no medical care. No officers came to clean up the vomit. It smelled terrible, and people tried to use toilet paper to clean up the vomit.” -Detainee 

“At night, it was impossible to sleep. The room was freezing cold. There were no beds or mats to sleep on. Instead, we each lay across three seats. We had no bedding, but two metallic foil blankets. The blankets made a loud rustling noise that continued all night. The bright lights in the room were kept on all night.” -Detainee 

“I saw that other people in the holding room were sick because of the cold temperatures. One person fainted and had to be taken away to the hospital. There were no doctors or medical staff at Broadview.” -Detainee 

Intimidation and Deception:

“Officers threatened [my client] repeatedly to sign his own voluntary deportation. They told him ‘you have no rights here,’ and ‘if you don’t sign, you’ll stay in jail for fifteen years.’” –Immigration Attorney 

“The man said he would press on my head with his hands, which had rings on them, if I did not sign. I saw the man press on other individuals’ heads when they refused to sign the paperwork, while another staff member grabbed their hands to force them to sign the paper. I felt as if I had no choice but to sign the paperwork.” -Detainee

“The officer told me that I had to sign my deportation paperwork. He told me that if I did not sign the paperwork, I would remain detained there at Broadview until I agreed to sign. I felt that I had no choice but to sign the paperwork. The deportation paperwork was in English, but I am not able to read English. The deportation paperwork was not provided to me in Spanish, a language that I know and understand… the immigration officers did not provide me any information about my legal options. Their only goal was to deport as many people as possible as fast as possible.” -Detainee 

“Other people in my cell tried to make phone calls too, and none of us got through to anyone. Several people tried to call a legal hotline number. Others tried to call their families. Even one person in the cell with a pre-paid card could not successfully make a call. I don’t believe any of the phones in that cell worked at all. Whether intentionally designed to behave this way or not, the phones do not actually connect calls and only connect for the minimum time necessary to log a missed call on the recipient’s phone.” -Protestor, detained at Broadview 

“The agents in the pickup truck were laughing and said something to the effect of, ‘we are coming for more.’ A few minutes later, I was taken to the ICE detention facility in Broadview. I was detained at the Broadview detention facility for approximately six days.” -Detainee 

“Despite presenting identification verifying our identity as Members of Congress and requesting to enter for approximately two hours, we were denied access to the Broadview Facility, in violation of statutory authority allowing [us] to access without notice any DHS facility ‘used to detain or otherwise house’ immigrants. Operation Midway Blitz had been shrouded in secrecy, with little notice to state or local officials about the nature of operations, the types of people targeted, where DHS was detaining people, and which agencies were detailing officers to conduct immigration enforcement.” -U.S. Representatives

Access to Counsel:

“I then asked if they were denying me access to my clients. At that point, an agent motioned me over to him. I said to him, again, I am an attorney and I am trying to see my clients. He responded ‘you can’t come in here, it’s not going to happen.’” -Immigration Attorney 

“During my time at Broadview, I never observed anyone able to speak with their lawyer. When people asked the officers to speak with lawyers, officers told people to wait but never actually allowed people to speak with their lawyers. I did not see any lawyers arrive to speak with their clients. I did not see anyone able to speak with a lawyer confidentially.” -Detainee 

“Broadview is a black hole. When my clients are there, I am unable to speak to them or contact them.” -Immigration Attorney

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