ICE says New Mexico only state with specific detention facility for transgender detainees

EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14) — New Mexico is the only state in the country that has a specific detention facility for transgender detainees by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

KFOX14 anchor Robert Holguin got an exclusive tour of the privately run facility.

ICE currently has more than 53,000 people in detention centers across the nation.

There are more than 400 ICE detainees at Cibola County Correctional Center in Milan, New Mexico, west of Albuquerque.

Twenty-seven of those detainees are transgender.

The dedicated unit for transgender women opened in 2017.

The detention facility has large rooms where detainees watch television. The facility has examining rooms, a small lab and a pharmacy. There is an outdoor recreational space and meeting rooms where detainees meet with asylum officers and advocacy groups that provide free legal services.

"I believe that it's very important to be transparent. We have nothing to hide as an agency,” said Corey Price, the field officer director for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations in El Paso.

"We realized there was a need. We had a constant challenge trying to find suitable accommodations for the transgender population, so we stood this up a couple of years ago, and it's been very successful,” said Price.

ICE has received criticism for its treatment of transgender detainees.

In early June, Johana Medina, 25, a transgender woman from El Salvador, died after complaining of illness at an ICE detention center near Alamogordo, New Mexico.

Medina died in an El Paso hospital after testing positive for AIDS.

Transgender advocates said she did not receive adequate medical care, but Price disputes those assertions.

"The decision was made to take her to the emergency room because of her complaints. But we had no reason to believe, at least nothing that I was informed of, that there was anything serious at that point. It wasn't until the hospital that they realized that there were other underlying medical issues that nobody was aware of until now,” said Price.

Roxsana Hernandez was a detainee at the Cibola County facility. Within hours of her arrival, she fell ill and was taken to an Albuquerque hospital, where she later died.

Transgender groups alleged that she had been abused, but an autopsy from the New Mexico medical investigator found that she died of AIDS-related illness.

"She suffered from complications from AIDS. It's extremely unfortunate, but she wasn't infected with HIV or AIDS while in our custody, and she was provided with very high-level care while in our custody,” said Price.

Transgender groups have called for ICE to release transgender detainees. A statement from the Transgender Legal Center says in part:

All the agencies and companies responsible for Roxsana’s death have only grown bolder in their cruelty, inhumanity, and lawlessness. These deaths are a direct result of U.S. government policy, and will continue unless we force dramatic change.

"I think it's unfortunate that they made allegations like that, but I'm not surprised. When someone passes, it's not something that people want to accept,” said Price.

Detainees are provided medicine and treatment, and transgender detainees who are undergoing hormone therapy are provided hormones paid for by ICE.

"I don't have the exact number, but I can tell you that it's not cheap. We invest a significant amount into our medical. I can tell you that we spend $250 million a year as an agency on the medical costs alone for those who are detained in our custody,” said Price.

ICE said it is looking at opening more of these facilities in areas closer to larger cities.