US Army Veteran Reports ICE Guard Sexually Assaulted Him During Search at Tacoma Facility
Garnet Smith, who is a U.S. Army veteran from Spokane and who has been incarcerated in the Northwest ICE Processing Center located in Tacoma for about nine months, alleges that a pat-down conducted on July 7 led to improper sexual contact.
Supporters of the organization About Face, which represents Smith, claim that the searching officer had acted unusually aggressively towards him. More specifically, it states that Smith felt the officer’s hand on his genitals while he underwent the body search. When Smith complained about this, he was put in handcuffs and subjected to a strip search.
This case occurred while a number of other cases of sexual assaults of the detainees were reported in this exact detention center. In January 2021, a 911 call was made from the Tacoma detention center alleging sexual assault. In February 2021, three black detainees sued the GEO Group, a private prison corporation, which operates the Northwest ICE Processing Center under contract with ICE. One of the plaintiff detainees claimed improper touching of his genitals during the body search.
Once the claim was filed, police came to the detention facility and made notes about what Smith claimed. Per the report, Smith alleged that an officer grabbed him by his private parts during the search process, and he was subjected to a strip search after he protested against the officer. Smith claimed that he wanted to press criminal charges, but police felt that there wasn’t enough evidence available to arrest anyone at this point.
Apart from filing a police report, Smith has also filed a complaint against the PREA violation, which is a federal act aimed at preventing and addressing sexual abuse in detention centers.
According to activists, Smith joined the United States Army on the assumption that his military career would eventually become the avenue through which he obtained American citizenship. According to them, despite his loyalty to the nation and the fact that he has been suffering from disabilities caused by his military career, he continues to be detained because of an old violation of a no-contact order.
The Northwest ICE Processing Center is run by GEO Group, which is among the largest private prison firms in the nation. In its response, GEO Group stated that the firm has maintained a “zero tolerance” policy on sexual abuse and sexual harassment. The firm stated that its facilities must adhere to the Department of Homeland Security regulations put in place under the Prison Rape Elimination Act and that its workers are trained accordingly.
No human being deserves this kind of treatment, but when a US veteran who served his country is reporting sexual assault, how do we think other detainees are getting treated? The pathway to citizenship in this country needs serious reform, because in my book, a veteran who risked his life for his country deserves to live in peace, without the fear of ICE detention and assault.
Why was he in detention for 9 months ? Isn’t that the story
ICE is taking lessons from isra hell