Just about every Saturday, Ulises Parias drives two hours to visit his father, Carlitos Ricardo "Richard" Parias, at the Adelanto Detention Center in California.They talk on the phone regularly.Parias tells his father about his 16-year-old sister and about his college classes.Occasionally, his dad's health comes up: his left arm hurts and he gets headaches, fevers and blurry vision.
It has been over eight months since Parias' father was shot by federal agents during an immigration enforcement arrest in Los Angeles.Immigration attorneys representing Parias allege he is not receiving adequate medical care, including pain medication and physical therapy, following an encounter with federal agents that resulted in Parias being shot near his left elbow."The last thing he told me was, have a good day at school.
Then, like five minutes later, I heard some commotion outside," Parias, 20, said in an interview with NPR."My heart stopped for a minute, and then I quickly went outside [to] the streets.
And that's when I found my dad's car.The window was shattered."Attorneys for Parias have tried to secure his release from detention while his immigration case plays out.So far, that request has been denied.
Parias' case, his attorneys say, is one that exemplifies the challenges facing many detainees in a judicial and detention system with limited resources and dwindling avenues for any recourse, including for people with no criminal record.This year brought increased scrutiny on federal law enforcement's use of force, after two federal agents shot and killed two U.S.citizens in Minneapolis, and on the conditions within immigration detention centers, including medical care amid some of the highest numbers of people in detention and of deaths of those in custody.
Parias' case showcases the nexus of the issues — and the narrow scope of oversight and resources within the judicial and agency level for someone injured by the federal agency that is also detaining them."There are n...