Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Washington Field Office Director Russell Hott and acting Assistant Field Office Director Joseph Ordon hosted a delegation of Virginia representatives at the Caroline Detention Facility on Feb. 23 that included Virginia Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine and staffers.
“The delegation’s visit was an extremely positive one,” said Ordon. “We were able to educate our guests in several facets of the detention facility that they had probably not previously considered. ERO Washington remains focused on safe, effective and dignified living conditions for our detainee population and strong, amenable partnerships with our elected representatives are the most effective ways to attain success in these areas.”
Capt. Jaime Seligman and Dr. Paul Harvey with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Health Service Corps (IHSC) delivered a presentation on the quality of health care and the direct care services that all detainees receive while in ERO custody.
The event also included conversations about how the Caroline Detention Facility’s ERO custody and resource coordinator supports ERO Washington by providing specialized resources and services to noncitizens in ERO custody.
ERO Washington and the detention facility’s leadership responded to representatives’ questions about the immigration process, quality of living conditions, and programs and services available to detainees in ICE custody.
ICE is firmly committed to the health, safety and welfare of all those in its custody. ICE’s national detention standards and other ICE policies require facilities to provide comprehensive medical and mental health care from the moment noncitizens arrive at a facility and throughout their time in ICE custody. Generally, detention standards require facilities to conduct a medical intake screening, including a mental health assessment, within 12 hours of arrival and a full health assessment within 14 days. Facilities are required to provide access to daily sick calls and 24-hour emergency care. Detained noncitizens have access to a continuum of health care services, including screening, prevention, health education, diagnosis and treatment while in ICE custody.
In accordance with detention standards, detained noncitizens within IHSC and non-IHSC-staffed facilities receive a health screening within 12 hours of arrival and a complete health assessment within 14 days. Each facility is staffed by medical professionals 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for direct patient access. Though IHSC does not directly provide or direct the medical care provided in non-IHSC-staffed facilities, IHSC does oversee those facilities’ compliance with national detention standards and coordination of offsite care through medical referrals through the Field Medical Coordinator Program.
ERO, a directorate of ICE, upholds U.S. immigration law at, within, and beyond our borders. ERO operations target public safety threats, such as convicted criminal noncitizens and gang members, who have violated our nation’s immigration laws, including those who illegally re-enter the country after being removed and immigration fugitives ordered removed by federal immigration judges. ERO deportation officers assigned to Interpol also assist in targeting foreign fugitives for crimes committed abroad at-large in the U.S. ERO manages all aspects of the immigration enforcement process, including identification and arrest, detention, bond management, supervised release, transportation, and removal. Additionally, ERO repatriates noncitizens ordered removed from the U.S. to more than 150 countries worldwide.
