Civil Rights Groups File Complaint Over Conditions at ICE Detention Center
Civil rights lawyers file complaint with ICE over conditions at Baldwin detention center after detainee’s mother says her son has gone mute in custody.
BALDWIN, MICHIGAN — Civil rights attorneys filed a complaint Thursday with Immigration and Customs Enforcement over conditions at the North Lake Processing Center, focusing on a detainee whose mother says he has become mute and unable to communicate after months in custody.
The complaint, submitted by the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center and the ACLU, addresses conditions at the ICE detention facility operated by GEO Group in Baldwin, Michigan. The case involves a detainee whose mother, identified only as Heydi C., has not spoken to her son since the end of November.
“It’s been an undescribable torture,” Heydi C. said in Spanish during a news conference organized by the civil rights groups, with her remarks translated for reporters.
Detainee’s Condition Deteriorates
Ruby Robinson, a senior managing attorney with the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center who represents Heydi’s son and other Baldwin detainees, confirmed that the man has gone completely mute. The mother said her son’s mental and physical health have deteriorated to the point where he cannot communicate.
Heydi C. said she has been forced to use detainee locator tools just to determine if her son is alive. The mother’s identity was protected during the news conference due to fears of potential retaliation against her or her son by ICE or GEO Group staff.
Michigan Immigrant Rights Center provided documentation to Michigan Advance verifying the man’s detention at the North Lake facility.
Multiple Facility Transfers
The detainee has been transferred between multiple facilities across the country, including locations in Florida, Texas, and Louisiana. In January, Heydi C. was told her son would be deported, but he has not been removed from the country.
During a phone call with her son, she described hearing him “completely sedated and out of it,” calling it “the worst pain.” He briefly returned to the Baldwin facility before being moved again to Louisiana.
As of Thursday, the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center reported that ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations informed them that Heydi’s son had been transferred to a dedicated medical facility to receive additional care.
Ongoing Detention Concerns
The complaint highlights broader concerns about conditions at the North Lake Processing Center, which has been the subject of previous scrutiny from immigrant rights advocates. The facility, located in rural Baldwin, houses immigration detainees from across the region.
The civil rights groups did not specify what remedies they are seeking from ICE in response to their complaint. The case represents ongoing tensions between immigration enforcement agencies and advocacy organizations over detention conditions and treatment of immigrants in federal custody.
ICE and GEO Group have not yet responded to requests for comment about the complaint or the specific allegations regarding conditions at the North Lake facility.
