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Adelanto ICE detainees report worsening conditions despite court-ordered improvements

Mar 18, 2026·Location: Adelanto, CA

Adelanto ICE detainees report worsening conditions despite court-ordered improvements
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The Adelanto ICE Processing Center in California's Mojave Desert has faced documented concerns about detention conditions and practices. An investigation revealed detainees experiencing inadequate medical care, insufficient food and water, mold, staph infections, and prolonged detention, with some held for nearly three years despite having permanent residency status or no criminal convictions. Immigrant rights groups sued ICE and the Department of Homeland Security over conditions described as unsanitary, with more than a dozen detainees hospitalized and two local fathers dying following detention at the facility. Despite a federal judge's order requiring improvements, attorneys say complaints about poor drinking water, food, sanitation and medical care continue, including a family video appearing to show worm-like creatures in a bottle of drinking water, while a DHS spokesperson denied poor conditions and said the facility receives the same municipal water as Adelanto residents.

Timeline

Mar 18, 2026—Approximately 300 activists from Greater Los Angeles protest detention conditions at Adelanto ICE Processing Center
Feb 23, 2026—Investigation documents harsh conditions at Adelanto ICE Processing Center including inadequate medical care, insufficient food and water, and prolonged detentions
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