HUMSI — Human Security Initiative

Human Impact Project

A living database documenting reported immigration enforcement incidents and their human impact.

Detainees allege gas leak, extreme heat at Mississippi ICE facility; CoreCivic disputes claims

Aug 14, 2026·Location: Natchez, MS

Detainees allege gas leak, extreme heat at Mississippi ICE facility; CoreCivic disputes claims
Photo via Instagram

Detainees held at the Adams County Correctional Center, an ICE facility near Natchez, Mississippi operated by CoreCivic, reported smelling gas on August 8, followed by a power outage beginning August 10 that left the facility without air conditioning for about two days. Detainees said they were evacuated into afternoon heat approaching 100 degrees for hours, suffered headaches and other symptoms, and were denied medical care, with cells meant for two people holding three. One detainee's wife said detainees were also denied tablet devices during the disruption and feared retaliation, including solitary confinement, if seen as organizing. CoreCivic disputed the accounts, stating no gas leak was found, the outage lasted about two hours with generators functioning, air conditioning was never interrupted, and no one was denied medical care. A subsequent inspection found 23 use-of-force or restraint violations, resulting in a downgrade of the facility's rating.

Timeline

Aug 14, 2026—Reports emerged of denied medical care and an inspection finding 23 use-of-force or restraint violations, downgrading the facility's rating
Aug 10, 2026—Power outage began, leaving facility without air conditioning for about two days amid near 100F heat
Aug 8, 2026—Detainees reported smelling gas at the facility
Suggest a correction, comment, or update

Sources

More incidents in Mississippi