Immigrants Detained at California’s Largest Immigration Detention Center File Motion Seeking Medical Care

SAN FRANCISCO – Two people detained at the California City Detention Facility petitioned a federal court to require Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) immediately provide them with medical care for their serious medical conditions. In a motion for a temporary restraining order filed late Tuesday evening, lawyers cite sworn declarations from a medical expert that states that immediate medical intervention is urgently needed to prevent immediate death or irreversible medical harm.

Yuri Roque Campos, one of the plaintiffs seeking emergency relief, is diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension and congestive heart failure, among other life-threatening conditions, requiring close monitoring and appropriate management. However, since his transfer to the California City Detention Facility on September 5, ICE has denied Mr. Roque Campos access to cardiac specialists, as well as consistent access to medications required to treat his condition.

“I am very scared about what will happen to me if I cannot get the medical care that I need while I am locked up at California City,” said Mr. Roque Campos. “My three young children live in the United States, and I would like to be reunited with them. I am afraid that I might die here because California City won’t provide me with necessary medical care.”

Fernando Viera Reyes is also seeking medical care on an emergency basis, as he has a high probability of having prostate cancer, according to previous blood tests. Since his arrival at California City in late August, he has reported progressively worsening symptoms, including urinary bleeding and extreme pain, among other worrying symptoms consistent with a prostate cancer diagnosis. Nearly four months later, medical staff at the facility have not taken the necessary steps to diagnose his condition, leaving him at risk of death that could have been prevented had ICE taken timely action.

“There is no clinical justification for the prolonged delays in access to care that Mr. Viera Reyes has experienced,” said Dr. Todd Randall Wilcox in a sworn declaration. “Further delay is medically reckless and places Mr. Viera Reyes at substantial risk of needless suffering or death. I am deeply concerned that Mr. Viera Reyes has prostate cancer that could have been identified and treated with appropriate intervention, resulting in a potential complete recovery. In short, it is possible that the facility has subjected him to a risk of death that was entirely avoidable.”

Their motion for a temporary restraining order comes less than a month after they and five other plaintiffs sued the Trump administration over inhumane conditions at the California City Detention Facility, California’s largest immigration detention center. The plaintiffs are represented by the Prison Law Office, Keker Van Nest & Peters LLP, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice.

With 2,560 beds, the facility is the largest immigration detention center in California. At the time the lawsuit was filed in mid-November, more than 800 people were detained in the facility. CoreCivic, the for-profit company contracted to run the facility, projects it will reach full capacity by early 2026 as ICE continues to admit new arrivals as part of the Trump administration’s unprecedented expansion of ICE detention.

The motion for a temporary restraining order is available here: https://www.aclu.org/cases/gomez-ruiz-et-al-v-ice?document=Motion-for-Temporary-Restraining-Order

The accompanying sworn declarations are available here: https://www.aclu.org/cases/gomez-ruiz-et-al-v-ice