Rolando survived getting shot in the head in Guatemala, and was left with blinding headaches and regular bleeding from his eyes, ears, and nose. He was suffering from one of those headaches and possible brain hemorrhaging on the day that he asked for asylum at the southern U.S. border. But once in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, he said, he was instead thrown into solitary confinement and given only ibuprofen as his main treatment.
The 27-year-old indigenous man, “who asked not to use his full name due to threats against his life,” told The Guardian that he was placed into solitary almost immediately after arriving at the notorious, privately operated Otay Mesa Detention Center in California because he started bleeding. “We don’t know what’s wrong with you,” he said he was told.
He said he had no idea how much time he spent in isolation, but he did know he continued to suffer, and to bleed. Reports The Guardian, “At times his head pain was so severe, he would lose consciousness, or he would lie on the ground so that he would not injure himself if he passed out.” But he was given only ibuprofen as his main treatment. “Records show that on one visit, a nurse told him to drink more water and ‘wash hair/head thoroughly.’”
“I feared I was going to die,” Rolando said. His fears were justified: Otay Mesa has a disgraceful history of detainee mistreatment—including using solitary confinement, which is a form of torture—and death. Nebane Abienwi, a 37-year-old man from Cameroon, was jailed there when he died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody just days ago. “The medical staff identified the cause of death as brain death secondary to basal ganglia hemorrhage,” ICE claimed in a statement.
Rolando has no criminal record and could have been released on parole to access care and community help, but ICE kept him detained, even when a doctor said he was a “serious patient that presents with significant complexity of risk” following an ER visit. Rolando’s attorney was finally able to secure his release on a third attempt, but only after he was able to pay a $5,000 bond with the help of immigrant rights advocacy group Al Otro Lado.
That in itself was a miracle: “For many, $5,000 might as well be $5 million,” said Al Otro Lado’s Anne Rios. “They come here with nothing, no resources, no family members, absolutely no way to pay for that.” While Rolando is now free and awaiting his immigration court hearing, he’s also worried about how other detainees are being treated. “They abuse their power with us,” he said. He told The Guardian that he also is struggling to understand why he was treated this way. “I followed all the rules and I asked for admission.” He’s right: He did nothing wrong. It’s those who are in control who are out of control.
