Key facts
- Video footage was released showing an ICE detainee holding a water bottle with apparent worm-like creatures.
Attorneys for a man detained at the Adelanto ICE facility released video footage showing him holding a water bottle that appears to contain worm-like creatures. The detainee described the contaminants as "worms" or "larvae."
The video raises serious concerns about the living conditions and access to basic necessities for individuals in ICE detention, potentially violating a recent court order mandating clean drinking water.
Attorneys for Carlitos Ricardo Parias, a man detained at the Adelanto Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in California, have released video footage showing him holding a water bottle that appears to contain worm-like creatures. Parias, who has been detained for months, described the contaminants as "worms" or "larvae" in a statement shared by his attorney, Margaret Hellerstein.
The footage, filmed this week, shows Parias holding up a plastic bottle filled with water that appeared to have small pests swimming inside. He stated that the water was provided to residents for drinking and that he poured it into the bottle to preserve it as evidence. "This is what they give us: contaminated water, water with larvae, water with little black worms, which is slowly killing each one of us who are detained here," Parias said in his statement, translated from Spanish.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) did not respond to specific questions about the video, but a spokesperson stated that the facility obtains its water from the city of Adelanto, providing the "same water used by residents and businesses in the area." Geo Group, the private company operating the facility, also did not respond to inquiries.
This video has surfaced weeks after a federal judge ordered ICE to ensure that individuals detained at Adelanto have "24-hour access to clean, potable drinking water." This ruling was a response to a class-action lawsuit alleging "dangerous conditions" at the facility, including claims of insufficient food, clean drinking water, and adequate medical care.
Lawyers involved in the class-action case confirmed they had seen the footage and are investigating. Rebecca Brown, supervising attorney at Public Counsel, noted that detained individuals have long complained about the water quality, describing it as murky, tasting terrible, and containing unknown substances. Carl Bergquist, counsel with the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, expressed concern that the video raises questions about compliance with the judge's order. The class-action lawsuit also detailed that tap water at the facility was "discolored and tastes odd," and that "drinking" water in coolers often appeared dirty and ran out for hours.
DHS, in a filing challenging the judge's order, argued that the drinking water had been tested by an independent third party and found to be clean per FDA standards. The department also contended that Geo Group, as a contractor, is responsible for the facility's conditions.