"At Mesa Verde, Karam, who has a chronic stomach ulcer, had been receiving regular medication, was frequently kept on a liquid diet as prescribed by a doctor, and was able to see medical staff routinely. (Karam is a pseudonym, as he remains detained by ICE and fears retaliation.) Karam had even been approved to see a gastrointestinal specialist for his condition, but he was transferred before the appointment."
"When Karam arrived at California City, he informed a nurse who was conducting his medical intake about his ulcer, liquid diet, and the medications he takes daily-some of them multiple times a day. Yet, during his first twenty-four hours at the facility, he received no medication, and later, when he finally began to receive anything at all, they were the wrong pills and were provided with wild infrequency."
"By September 22nd, nearly a week into the strike, he was vomiting blood. The next day, he fainted, which triggered a "code blue"-a life-threatening medical emergency-that brought him to the medical clinic. There, according to Karam, he was kept for two or three hours as a health-service administrator named Ms. White took his vitals, and told him that it would be another two weeks before he could see a gastroenterologist for his condition."
Karam, a pseudonym for a detained individual, was transferred to California City ICE Detention Facility and lost access to regular medication and a prescribed liquid diet. Staff were informed of his chronic stomach ulcer and daily medications but failed to provide correct or timely treatment during his initial days. As his condition deteriorated, repeated requests went unanswered and staff conditioned medication on ending a hunger strike. After fainting and a code blue, a health administrator said it would be two weeks before he could see a gastroenterologist. The deliberate neglect caused severe harm and pressured him toward self-deportation.
Read at The New Yorker
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