Immigrant detainees at an ICE holding center in Farmville are reporting that the meals they are being served have had worms, raising obvious questions about the sanitary conditions being observed in meal prep.
As if being forced to eat – or not eat – food ridden with worms, when the matter was brought to the attention of staff at the Farmville Detention Center, detainees were retaliated against with threats that they could lose access to food for sale in the detention center’s commissary.
The sad thing is: the threats of losing access to the commissary might actually be an improvement, considering the history at the Farmville Detention Center, which has been under scrutiny from immigrant-advocacy groups since it opened in 2010.
“The situation scared us. Once we noticed that there were worms in several other people’s food, I felt sick. I had eaten worms,” said one detainee, according to a report from the advocacy group Free Them All VA.
The Farmville Detention Center is a privately owned and operated 736-bed facility, which was purchased in June for $67 million by the Brentwood, Tenn.,-based CoreCivic, the second largest private corrections company in the country, with 65 state and federal detention facilities.
The recent issue with inedible food at FDC is reminiscent of a similar situation in 2015, when detainees reported evidence of worms in their food.
When the matter was presented to staff, it was alleged by detainees that their complaints were met with violence, and a Contract Discrepancy Report detailed that Immigration Centers of America, the company that ran Farmville Detention Center at the time, “issued a memo threatening those who complained with prosecution.”
ICE, at the time under the thumb of the Obama administration, ultimately found that the actions “violated standards which state that disciplinary actions cannot be retaliatory.”
In the years since, detainees at Farmville have continued to be subject to a pattern of medical neglect, perilous conditions and the deprivation of basic rights.
And this is all still ongoing, according to those on the inside.
One detainee told a Free Them All VA advocate about a group of 98 from a unit at the detention center who refused and returned all three of their meals from the day, out of concern about edibility and food safety.
This, the detainee reported, was what prompted the threat about access to the commissary.
Free Them All VA issued the following statement regarding what is going on”
“This incident is the latest example of abuse in Farmville’s long and troubling history, where members of our community are treated as less than human. For over a decade, Farmville has been plagued by systemic cruelty, neglect, and retaliation. Daily life at Farmville, a detention center that profits from human suffering, is characterized by a culture of systematic abuse and brutality. Community members have already suffered retaliation for raising these concerns and demanding edible food in the past. Let’s be clear: ICE is motivated only by its mission to terrorize immigrants and separate families, while CoreCivic is motivated by its relentless pursuit of profit and shareholder value. To end this cycle of abuse, we demand the immediate closure of Farmville and the release of community members to return to the safety of their homes here in the United States.”
Update: Wednesday, 11:35 a.m. The CoreCivic Public Affairs Team sent us a statement regarding the allegations involving the food at the Farmville Detention Center.
The statement:
“There’s no validity to these claims. Upon receiving concerns that evening, facility leadership immediately examined the food and found no evidence of contamination or foreign materials. Multiple staff members, including the assistant warden, consumed the same meal that evening without incident.
“Regarding claims of retaliation, detainees were not threatened with loss of commissary access for raising food safety concerns. We encourage those in our care to report any issues through established grievance procedures, and we do not retaliate against individuals who do so.
“We provide three nutritious meals daily at Farmville Detention Center, with menus reviewed and approved regularly by a registered dietitian to ensure proper nutrition and accommodate specialized diets including religious and therapeutic requirements.”
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Chris Graham
