Apparently, the Miami-Dade County Corrections system isn't the only lockup that has problems keeping its inmates healthy and alive. The Washington Post is running a four-day series on the hidden world of immigration detention facilities -- and how detainees awaiting deportation receive shoddy medical care.
The paper found that 83 people have died in recent years in these federal facilities. One well publicized case happened right here in Miami: the uncle of Haitian-American writer Edwidge Danticat died in Nov. 2004 at Krome after not receiving medical care. The elderly man, named Joseph Dantica, had arrived in Miami on a flight from Haiti, with a valid visa, and he was still denied help. The Post highlights Dantica's case and several others. Many stories involve immigrants who lived in Florida and found themselves sick, or dead, behind bars. There's also a few Cubans who died in detention facilities around the country, as well.
The series is a must-read. The reporters amassed thousands of pages of federal documents and inmate letters, and have placed many on the paper's website. -- Tamara Lush
