Feds Endanger
Immigrants With HIV, Report Says

The federal Department of Homeland Security should upgrade its care and treatment of immigrant detainees with HIV, Human Rights Watch said in a report released Friday. According to the group's 71-page report, there are nearly 30,000 immigrants detained by the United States, but the number of these detainees who have HIV is unknown.

The report, "Chronic Indifference: HIV/AIDS Services for Immigrants Detained by the United States," includes accounts of HIV-positive detainees whose treatment for the virus was delayed, denied, or interrupted. The investigation included interviews with current and former detainees, DHS and detention facility officials, and an independent medical review of treatment provided, according to a press release.

The report also notes the death of a 23-year-old HIV-positive transgender detainee who died in July after eight weeks in an immigrant detention facility. She was denied treatment and fell ill. Other detainees reportedly tried to alert guards of her medical status. She was eventually taken to the facility clinic but was taunted by staffers. Before her death, she told cell mates that her experience "was a nightmare." (The Advocate)