‘Hell on earth’: immigrants held in new California detention facility beg for help

Six people at a remote Ice facility in California City describe medical problems and filthy conditions, which operator CoreCivic denies

Immigrants locked up in California's newest federal detention center have described the facility as a a torture chamber", a zoo" and hell on earth", saying they were confined in filthy cells and suffered medical crises without help.

Six people detained at the California City detention center, which opened in late August and is now the state's largest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) detention center, shared accounts with the Guardian of poor conditions and alleged mistreatment by staff.

staff were not consistently giving people daily medications, and some detainees fell unconscious due to health issues;

some toilets and sinks were backed up or not functioning properly, creating a stench;

detainees were left to clean their own cells, but not given proper supplies;

detainees were confined to cells for hours, and when they were allowed outdoors, it was sometimes only for 30 minutes a day in a dusty area with nothing to do;

small food portions left people hungry, with some saying they rationed meals and feared the water they were drinking was dirty.