From inside the California City Detention Facility in Kern County, CA, Brady Tillett, an asylum seeker from Belize, calls for end to corrupt immigration detention system
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: media@freedomforimmigrants.org
LOS ANGELES — Brady Tillett, an asylum seeker and community leader detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the California City Detention Facility in Kern County, today released a new op-ed published in The Los Angeles Times, exposing ICE’s inhumane treatment and calling for an overhaul to the corrupt and profit-driven U.S. immigration system.
“This privately run immigration detention center — the largest in California — opened illegally last August as the Trump administration rapidly expanded detention,” writes Mr. Tillett. “Having been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for nearly two years, I’ve come to learn that this sort of lawlessness lies at the core of the U.S. detention system. The rule of law does not exist inside detention for me or the countless others I’ve met during my time in ICE custody.”
Mr. Tillett goes on to describe the inhumane and routine abuses he and others face inside the for-profit prison, including the “dollar-a-day” forced labor scheme, life-threatening medical neglect, and retaliation.
“Last November, when I stood up for others’ medical care — including those in need of urgent treatment and medications for conditions like heart disease and diabetes — I and several others were sent to solitary confinement in retaliation.”
Despite ICE and Corecivic’s abuses, Brady continues to advocate for himself and others, and alongside organizers with Freedom for Immigrants and the Cal City Shutdown Coalition.
“When I fled Belize, I believed it important to stop corruption in my country. Now facing a perverse system again, I am continuing this fight from behind bars in a new country. In my time here, I have filed numerous habeas petitions — a way to challenge one’s detention through the courts — resulting in the freedom of several people who were once caged here.
Mr. Tillett concludes: “I will continue to advocate for myself and others, alongside allies beyond these walls. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from — we all have the right to live and be treated with fairness and basic human dignity.”
In March, Brady provided testimony at a California City resident town hall organized by the Cal City Shutdown Coalition. The coalition will again organize the community on Tuesday, July 7, to hold CoreCivic and California City accountable at a City Council hearing. This meeting is the first time the California City Detention Facility is on the council’s agenda. Advocates and local residents will continue to demand that the City of California City deny CoreCivic the permits to operate the largest detention center in California.
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Freedom for Immigrants is an abolitionist organization working to end immigration incarceration by organizing with and following the leadership of currently and formerly incarcerated immigrants. We’re building a future in which all people can move freely and thrive. Learn more at www.freedomforimmigrants.org/.