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As more and more people are held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody as authorities decide whether to deport them, the issue of detainee treatment is becoming a bigger issue as some are dying during their waits. Today, the NY Times has the harrowing details of one man's death while in custody for over a year--it turned out he had cancer and his lawyers and family contend officials refused to believe he was sick.
According to the Times, Hiu Lui Ng had arrived in NYC back in 1992 as a 17-year-old and by 2007, he "was a New Yorker: a computer engineer with a job in the Empire State Building, a house in Queens, a wife who is a United States citizen and two American-born sons." After an immigration court notice was "mistakenly sent to a nonexistent address" in 2001, his wife's attempts to get him a green card, and "bad legal advice," by the time Ng went for a green card interview in July of last year, ICE agents arrested him.
As his family tried to get him out, Ng was shuttled between a number of facilities (contracted by the government to hold detainees) and he began to fall ill in April 2008. Here's just a portion of the NY Times' description of his conditions and treatment:
Soon, according to court papers, he had to rely on other detainees to help him reach the toilet, bring him food and call his family; he no longer received painkillers, because he could not stand in line to collect them. On July 26, Andy Wong, a lawyer associated with [Theodore] Cox, came to see the detainee, but had to leave without talking to him, he said, because Mr. Ng was too weak to walk to the visiting area, and a wheelchair was denied.Ng's lawyer took the matter to court, and, because the federal judge insisted on July 31, Ng was allowed to go to a hospital on August 1: "The results were grim: cancer in his liver, lungs and bones, and a fractured spine." Ng died on August 5.On July 30, according to an affidavit by Mr. Wong, he was contacted by Larry Smith, a deportation officer in Hartford, who told him on a speakerphone, with Mr. Ng present, that he wanted to resolve the case, either by deporting Mr. Ng, or “releasing him to the streets.” Officer Smith said that no exam by an outside doctor would be allowed, and that Mr. Ng would not be given a wheelchair.
Mr. Ng told his lawyer he was ready to give up, the affidavit said, “because he could no longer withstand the suffering inside the facility,” but Officer Smith insisted that Mr. Ng would first have to withdraw all his appeals.
Ng's lawyers have asked for a criminal investigation in his death.. The Times details other in-custody deaths.
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I cried when I read this on the Times. What a horrible way to die. They claim 300,000 people are being held like this.
This country is becoming more and more like China, Iran and every other hole of human rights abuses every day.
Shame on every single one of us.
Very moved by this piece too. Hope it raises some awareness of the issue.
Shouldn't the headline read, "Details of Chinese Citizen's Death in I.C.E. Custody"?
Or "Details of Illegal Immigrant's Death in I.C.E. Custody"?
is this Red China?
someone beat me to it.
Barbaric.
Well, TSOL, since the I.C.E indicates the person was illegally here, using "Chinese'citizen" or "Illegal immigrant" would be redundant. Redundant for those who think. But for some OTHERS, like, maybe you for instance, it might be necessary.
Negligent homicide on the part of Mr. Ng's custodians. Prosecute them all and fire their superiors. Anything less is reason enough to send Bush to The Hague.
This is absolutely disgraceful.
@TSOL, maybe you should be slightly less ignorant... you know.. brush up on your current events and history for say the last 50 years...maybe learn a little immigration policy in the interim... i dunno..just a thought?
He came from Hong Kong in 1992... hmm.. last I checked it was still a British possession then... so.. I think the title would be called "British Citizen's Death in I.C.E. Custody."?
I mean, last I checked, 1992 was before 1997.
He wouldn't have and didn't have anywhere to return to after July 1st, 1997. Except Red China. Hence the asylum case (Tiananmen Square was very much on the mind of anyone from HK post-1989).
The sad part is that his American wife made the mistake of asking ICE for permanent residency status for her husband since he was married to an American. Five years later he was still married to her, and they had two kids... so I'm guessing it wasn't a sham marriage, but that could just be me?
Of course this will be used as an excuse to justify letting the borders continue to be over run.
this person was a productive member of society, what has he overrun?
"Of course this will be used as an excuse to justify letting the borders continue to be over run"
Oh yeah, of course... how about you point out any one example of anyone doing this. Anyone.. the crazy guy down on the street, some fucked up blog, anything, anywhere.
If you are outraged by this, please write your congressperson asking them to support the Detainee Basic Medical Care Act of 2008:
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/110-s3005/show
Thank you, Egglantine.