Advocates Demand Enforcement of Federal Court Order at Adelanto as Guards Say They Were Told Not to Comply

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 8, 2026

Media contact: 

Alex Comisar, Public Counsel, acomisar@actumllc.com 

Jesus Contreras, Immigrant Defenders Law Center, media@immdef.org

Jorge-Mario Cabrera, CHIRLA, jmcabrera@chirla.org, (562) 243-5559

Advocates Demand Enforcement of Federal Court Order at Adelanto as Guards Say They Were Told Not to Comply

GEO Group officers allegedly told detained individuals that staff have a copy of the court's order but “have instructions not to follow” it, unless ICE tells them to follow it.

LOS ANGELES — Public Counsel, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), the Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef), and co-counsel Willkie Farr & Gallagher filed a motion on Wednesday, October 7, asking a federal court to enforce its July 16 preliminary injunction requiring the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to fix dangerous conditions at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center. The motion presents evidence that the government has failed to comply with the order's most basic requirements. It asks the Court to enforce the order, require the government to show cause regarding its compliance, hold the government in civil contempt, and impose daily sanctions until it complies.

The injunction required the government to immediately provide 24-hour access to clean drinking water, nutritious and sanitary meals, daily cleaning and hygiene supplies, privacy in bathrooms and showers, clean clothing and bedding, at least four hours of daily outdoor time, contact visits with family, and to limit disruptive headcounts. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals denied the government's request to stay the order on August 20, explaining that the government remains "ultimately responsible for ensuring that the conditions of confinement are constitutionally acceptable" even though GEO Group operates the facility. The order has since been in full effect.

In accounts given to attorneys as recently as October 1, detained individuals across the facility describe going three to seven hours at a time without drinking water. One man collapsed in mid-September and was hospitalized for severe dehydration. Detained individuals report inadequate portions of food, breakfast called as early as 4:00 a.m., mold that was painted over rather than removed, and days without toilet paper. Toilets and ADA-accessible showers have no privacy curtains, and guards remove the makeshift curtains detained individuals put up to use the toilet privately. Outdoor time remains limited to one hour a day instead of four, and family visits remain limited to one hour with physical contact restricted. Detained individuals who raise concerns about conditions report being placed in solitary confinement and having mail, including legal mail, withheld as punishment.

Nearly 1,800 people are detained at Adelanto.

“The court already ruled that what's happening at Adelanto is unconstitutional, and the Ninth Circuit refused to put that ruling on hold. The government has had every opportunity to comply, and it has chosen not to," said Rebecca Brown, Supervising Attorney at Public Counsel. “That is defiance of a federal court order, and people are being hospitalized because of it. This cannot continue for one more day. We demand that the government comply with the court's order now, and we are asking the court to hold it accountable if it does not.”

“The court was crystal clear in issuing its order, finding that ICE is not meeting its bare minimum obligations to keep the human beings in its custody safe.  Rather than complying with the injunction, ICE is now thumbing its nose at the justice system and the American public by failing to follow numerous requirements, including things as basic as providing clean water. Given this, we are compelled to ask the court to enforce its order,” stated Angelica Salas, Executive Director, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA).

"The federal government, including ICE, has a duty to follow a federal court’s orders. When ICE responds with indifference, or not at all, it disregards the constitutional rights the court is seeking to protect and endangers the lives of every person detained at the Adelanto ICE prison,” said Alvaro M. Huerta, Director of Litigation and Advocacy at the Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef). “Just last week another person in ICE custody died, bringing the death toll to a record-breaking 58 people under the current administration. ICE must come into immediate compliance with the court’s order. Lives are at stake."

The injunction also appointed two independent monitors to assess conditions and medical care at Adelanto, with their first reports due October 1. The conditions monitor, Ms. Kellie Wasko, experienced numerous informational barriers, with many of her requests for information from the government still outstanding today. Despite the limitations on her ability to investigate the detention center, Ms. Wasko described significant noncompliance with nearly every conditions provision in her October 2, 2026 report. Ms. Wasko reports widespread mold and live larvae in shower areas, a visitation policy that continues to prohibit ordinary physical contact, and lack of privacy in shower stalls that is “not typical in any carceral setting.” The medical monitor, Dr. Marc Stern, was unable to prepare his report because of the government's failure to provide remote access to medical records and to guarantee his physical access to the facility.

The ​​motion asks the court to find the government in violation of the injunction and to order it to cure the violations immediately. It also asks the court to require weekly sworn reports on compliance with each provision of the order, and to require the government to produce records documenting the steps it has taken to ensure GEO Group's compliance. In addition, the motion asks the court to order the government to pay $500 per day for each violated provision that remains uncured. 

The case is L.T. v. ICE, a class action brought on behalf of all individuals currently and in the future detained at Adelanto. Plaintiffs are represented by Public Counsel, the Immigrant Defenders Law Center, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, and Willkie Farr & Gallagher. To contact litigation directly and report conditions call the hotline at (323) 763-5356. 

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About Public Counsel

Public Counsel is a nonprofit public interest law firm dedicated to advancing civil rights and racial and economic justice, as well as to amplifying the power of our clients through comprehensive legal advocacy. Founded on and strengthened by a pro bono legal service model, our staff and volunteers seek justice through direct legal services, promote healthy and resilient communities through education and outreach, and support community-led efforts to transform unjust systems through litigation and policy advocacy in and beyond Los Angeles.

About the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA)

The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) was founded in 1986 to advance the human and civil rights of immigrants and refugees. CHIRLA is a California leader with national impact made of diverse immigrant families and individuals who act as agents of social change to achieve a world with freedom of mobility, full human rights, and true participatory democracy. CHIRLA organizes and serves individuals, institutions, and coalitions to build power, transform public opinion, and change policies to achieve full human, civil, and labor rights. CHIRLA’s mission is to achieve a just society fully inclusive of immigrants. 

About The Immigrant Defenders Law Center

The Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef) is a next-generation social justice law firm that defends immigrant communities against injustices in the immigration system. Our programs are a first step towards realizing the long-term goal of providing universal representation to all immigrants facing deportation. ImmDef is now the largest non‐profit, pro bono provider of deportation defense in California, with offices in Los Angeles, Riverside, Santa Ana, and San Diego.