ADELANTO — Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say they have no current plans to create a "protective custody" unit to house gay, bisexual and transgender detainees at its Adelanto facility, which will soon be the largest ICE detention center in California, according to an agency spokeswoman.
"It’s true we have explored the possibility of setting up a similar protective custody unit in Adelanto, should the need arise," said ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice, referring to the unique GBT unit at the Santa Ana City Jail. "But there are no immediate plans to do so at this time."
Currently, there are a total of 47 ICE detainees being housed in the protective custody unit in Santa Ana, which is the only unit of its kind under ICE authority. However, Kice contends that some criminal jails in California maintain similar units and it is not a unique situation.
"ICE's decision is consistent with a combination made by other institutions," she said. "Our focus is on ensuring the welfare of people in our custody. If these individuals are at risk for assault or other kinds of persecution at hands of detainees, we need to create an environment where they feel safe. So that's what this is all about. But ICE is not unique in doing this."
The Adelanto facility expansion is slated to be completed in July and will add 640 beds to increase the total capacity to 1,940 beds. Kice said there are three other "fairly sizable" facilities in Orange County and one in San Diego, and she said the Adelanto facility would not be the largest in the country.
It currently houses up to 1,300 male detainees but is expected to open a new women's unit to house up to 250 women.
Kice said ICE officials have been working closely with community based organization that are focused on GBT issues to ensure their facilities are addressing "the unique circumstances that these individuals present."
"The Santa Ana unit is working well for us and we think it's a good fit for our needs," she said. "So there are no plans at this time to expand to Adelanto."
Not all GBT detainees are housed in protective custody, Kice said. Some individuals prefer to remain in general detention and are able to as long as officials don't believe they are in danger, she said.
"For obvious reasons, these are potentially vulnerable detainees in a general detainee population," she said.