Imagine that you are supposed to have a biopsy for prostate cancer, but before you can, immigration officials bust into your home and detain you. Now imagine that you are sitting behind bars seven months later and still have yet to receive any treatment for your condition. For Gerardo Perdomo, this hypothetical scenario is a harsh reality.
Since he was detained, Perdomo’s pain in his testicles has gotten worse. Both he and his attorney have repeatedly requested a biopsy, but have not yet had the procedure done. In fact, Perdomo was taken to a hospital to undergo the biopsy on July 10, but was told he needed to reschedule the procedure because the jail did not give him the proper antibiotics. This is because the Hudson County Correctional Facility gave him antibiotics two weeks before his procedure. According to the hospital, the antibiotics should have been given to him two days before the procedure.
This isn’t the first time that Hudson Correctional has come under scrutiny for its poor medical care. In June, a 44-year-old immigrant from El Salvador died while being held at the jail. He had not received medication for his ailments for several months, resulting in internal bleeding that eventually led to his death. Two members of the jail's medical staff have since been dismissed.
Immigration advocates have seen an uptick in the number of calls they receive from detainees who are not getting adequate medical care. These complaints vary from people who need their migraines checked to claims of full blown infections going untreated by jail staff. As Rosa Santana, volunteer coordinator for First Friends of New Jersey and New York, says, “They are getting a lot of money, so these people shouldn’t be treated the way they are being treated and not given the correct medical care…What we are fighting for is for them to have the care that they need. Not meeting those needs is a human rights violation.”
Hopefully changes in how immigrant detainees are treated will be enacted as more and more of these incidents come to light.
Do you have more questions about immigration or detainees who are medically neglected? Contact our team of New York immigration lawyers to learn how we can help you today.
