MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Spanish-language reporter who was recently released from immigration custody says he was held for 15 months in detention centres that were plagued by insects and he had to bathe with cold water from water hoses.
During a news conference Wednesday, Manuel Duran discussed what he called inhumane conditions at immigration detention facilities in Louisiana and Alabama. Duran was released from an Alabama facility on bail last week.
The El Salvador native was arrested while covering an April 3, 2018, rally protesting immigration policies in Memphis. Protest-related charges were subsequently dropped, but Duran was picked up by immigration agents on a pending deportation order after he was released from jail.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Bryan Cox challenged Duran’s assertion about bathing with hoses and said facilities are regularly inspected.
Adrian Sainz, The Associated Press
