33 people have died in ICE custody. Lawmaker wants California's detention center to be accountable

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California state Sen.Sasha Renee Perez (D-Pasadena) announced Friday new legislation that will institute fines and suspend or revoke state issued licenses to immigration detention facilities when they fail to meet minimum health and safety standards.The proposed law — SB 995 — aims to empower state authorities by ensuring that private detention centers comply with state health and safety standards through inspections.

The detention center operators would be required to correct any deficiencies identified by inspectors or face a civil penalty up to $25,000 a day for each violation.Operators could also risk having their state-issued licenses suspended or revoked.Though the law would apply to juvenile halls, state hospitals and secure treatment centers, it is the growing number of immigration detention centers facing allegations of inhumane conditions that prompted the proposed legislation.“This legislation is grounded in a simple principle: If detention centers operate in California, they must meet California standards for safety, dignity and human rights,” Perez said.

“In California we will not allow people to suffer behind closed doors without oversight, without transparency and without justice.” In a report released last year, California Atty.Gen.

Rob Bonta reviewed six private immigration detention facilities in the state and found serious deficiencies, including inadequate medical and mental health care, inadequate suicide prevention protocols, a lack of transparency regarding use-of-force practices, and due process rights violations including access to legal counsel.Perez and immigrant rights groups say these issues have persisted, if not worsened, despite federal inspections conducted under Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s standards.There are at least six immigration detention facilities in California, some of which were closed but reopened to meet a sur...