Part 2 - Detainee Health Care Spotlight - PHS & Ellis Island

Is this squeeky clean picture of Ellis Island what immigrants saw upon arriving in the United States?



Or is this picture of the same room closer to the truth?

In part two and three of this spotlight on detainee health care we will focus on Public Health Services (PHS). We will examine some of the reasons why immigrants and detainees might not have faith in PHS's provided medical care based on documented historical evidence from PHS's past.

At the Stewart Detention Center (Lumpkin, GA) detainee health care services are provided by the United States government through the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. PHS is a health care provider at many Detention Centers (and also Federal Prisons) in the United States. Public Health Service is a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Public Health Services has a long history of being involved in immigration matters. In 1891 PHS took over the medical processing of all immigrants entering the United States at Ellis Island and at other immigration entry points to the United States. Historical evidence exists that PHS practices involved a sort of "racial totem pole" in which certain races were believed to be more desirable than others. Immigration medical standards therefore varied depending on the racial identity of the immigrant and his or her perceived racial worth to the United States. The methods used by PHS were apparently based on scientific racism (scientific racism is a ridiculous and unprovable belief that science can somehow show that one race is scientifically/genetically superior to others). Based on this belief the medical examination procedures used by PHS at Ellis Island were different for immigrants based on the immigrants race. Some races were prejudged to be more prone to unwanted diseases and mental health illnesses.

Class also influenced immigration practices as wealthy immigrants were not required to undergo physical medical exams to the same extent as the poor or people judged to be at the bottom tier of the immigration pool. Wealthy immigrants usually bypassed Ellis Island altogether and were disembarked at the port of New York. Immigrants sent to Ellis Island were herded through a bizarre system of cages, fences and pens (much like pigs and cows on a farm). These immigrants were issued health tickets which were filled out by PHS personnel. If unwanted medical conditions were observed then the immigrants clothes were marked with chalk.

To me PHS's early beliefs in an unofficial view of racial and class superiority are somewhat a product of the times. However racism itself is timeless. Ignorance like this can never simply be forgiven based upon the time period in which it was packaged and disseminated. Racism is not a bag of potato chips, it has no best used by date. I also feel that people need to know and understand the real truth of what Ellis Island represented to some immigrants. Without understanding the errors of the past we can not learn anything from them. In the next part of this series we will examine a more current event from Public Health Service's history which is not nearly as forgivable.

A detailed American Medical Association Journal of Ethics article on the scientific racism methods used by Public Health Services at Ellis Island can be found here.

It is worth noting that scientific racism is a belief that in current times many racist white power groups cling to. No doubt this is influenced by Adolf Hitler's own beliefs in this non-science nonsense with his own belief in a white master race.

A Southern Poverty Law Center report from 1999 on scientific racism can be found here.

"Aliens or Americans" by Howard B. Grose(originally published in 1906) A book on Ellis Island/immigration is available on the net here.



(above) Picture of a medical quarantine cell used at Ellis Island.



(above) Picture of the chutes and cages that immigrants were moved from as they were separated for medical tests and observations. (A) Entrance stairs; (B) Examination of health ticket; (C) Surgeon's examination; (D) Second surgeon's examination; (E) Group compartments; (F) Waiting for inspection; (G) Passage to the stairway; (H) Detention room; (I) The Inspectors' desks; (K) Outward passage to barge, ferry, or detention room.

Part 1 - Detainee Health Care Spotlight

The last post on this blog addressed the riot and hostages taken this weekend at a private for profit Detention Center in Texas run by CCA's competition. The news media has reported that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees were also incarcerated at this facility much like the immigrants being housed at the Stewart Detention Center (SDC). It is interesting to note that allegedly this riot and hostage situation was caused by a failure of detainees to believe that they were receiving adequate health care following the death of a detainee in custody at that facility.

So the question I guess is are they right? Could there be some truth to these claims? Is medical care seriously lacking when it comes to the incarceration of illegal immigrants in this country? While I have no access to information on the specific conditions in place at that facility I do know that this year we seem to be hearing a very large amount of concerns regarding inadequate health care at Detention Centers. These concerns also have at times mentioned both Public Health Service (PHS) and Corrections Corporation of America (CCA). Below I have outlined a few of the conditions which have been mentioned in the last year. Many more detainee health care failures are documented in the media and can easily be found through a google search.

* This year the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) took up the issue of children being incarcerated at the CCA ran T Don Hutto Residential Facility in Texas. The ACLU made many claims, including that the children being detained at the Hutto facility were not receiving adequate medical, dental or mental health care. This led CCA to finally provide a pediatrician for the children it incarcerates at the T Don Hutto Facility. Some children also allegedly were not allowed outside for the entire month of December of 2007. If this allegation is true then CCA would be violating American Correctional Association (ACA) requirements which it continually claims it follows at all of it's facilities. Due to this legal action several other significant changes to CCA's operations at the Hutto Detention Center were ordered to take place. Some information can be found here.

* Anton Flores of Alterna Community has protested the CCA run Stewart Detention Center on several occasions. During these protests he has raised the issue of possible health care failures at the Stewart Detention Center.

* The House Judiciary Committee is apparently drafting a bill in response to at least 60 media documented deaths of detainees in detention centers. Apparently this legislation is the first congressional action to require adequate medical care for immigration detainees.

* 60 Minutes and The Washington Post did an investigation of the health care being provided by Public health Service (PHS) to detainees in Detention Centers. It is worth noting that PHS also provides health care to detainees at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, GA. Video and a written account of that very disturbing report can be found here.

The "Warehouse" (seen at 3:48) featured in the 60 minutes piece is a CCA facility (the Elizabeth Detention Facility). CCA has maintained in the past that they do not warehouse prisoners. Which is kind of an odd thing to say if you lock them up in a former Warehouse in at least one state. In case you still don't think that CCA is Warehousing prisoners then here is a nice satellite image of the warehouse, I mean "Detention Center" they are running in New Jersey. If it was not human beings being incarcerated in New Jersey then it just might be funny how low CCA is willing to go in order to find a place to house and profit from incarcerating an illegal immigrant. Next time you hear CCA talking about how high tech it's facilities are just remember this facility. But then again CCA did originally start out by locking up prisoners in a former motel at CCA's first "Prison."

Geo Group Detention Center Riot

It appears that the riot at a for profit detention center that competes with CCA has ended. According to detainees and the news media the riot was in response to poor medical care being provided by the GEO Group at the Reeves County Detention Center. This facility houses ICE detainees just like SDC. News media reports state that during the riot fires were started and two recreational staff were held hostage.

The 270 View will be posting another story or two in the next few days and then we will be back on holiday break until mid January.