Phone calls, emails and even in-person visits have been shut down immediately at the Diamondback Correctional Facility in Watonga for ICE detainees, said Rivas & Associates Managing Partner Braxton Coil.
This has been an ongoing issue at the prison, impacting not just the attorneys but also families who are unable to communicate with their loved ones.
The runaround is what Coil said she has been receiving.
“We reached out to Core Civic directly and when we did that, we were informed that we were one of the hundreds of complaints that they had received in that day alone about Diamondback and their communications,” said Coil.
It has caused much frustration and fear said Coil.
“It’s a very stressful time in general having a loved one detained and then not being able to communicate with them, not knowing how their well-being is or what the status of whatever their case might be with immigration,” added Coil.
“It’s unsettling that they decided to start detaining some people or individuals at a facility that wasn’t prepared to have that amount of individuals, much less prepared to have communications or video communications,” said Coil.
While Diamondback is a private facility owned and operated by Core Civic, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said the same federal rules and regulations of detention facilities also apply at the prison.
ACLU Legal Fellow Travis Handler said ICE detainees should have, “Meaningful access to attorneys that involves a confidential place where they can have calls or meetings. It involves facilitating video visits for those attorneys that aren’t able to visit in person.”
Handler said over the last couple of months, ACLU has seen an uptick in cases coming in specifically related to this issue.
He adds that being under construction does not give Diamonback the right to evade their legal obligations.
“These folks have the right to an attorney both under the Fifth and First Amendment of the Constitution, and then recognizing the constitutionality of those protections,” said Handler.
Visitation resumed on Monday, according to Todd.
Coil said she received a phone call from an officer at Diamondback on Friday morning, who scheduled her office for three consults next week.
