U.S. District Judge Sunshine Sykes ordered ICE and DHS to take immediate corrective actions at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center after finding detainees likely face unconstitutional conditions. The order demands reliable clean water, safe food, improved sanitation and privacy, timely medical care, daily outdoor recreation and limits on solitary confinement. Two independent monitors will perform unannounced inspections and publish monthly reports, and officials must submit a corrective action plan within 14 days. The measures stem from a class-action lawsuit alleging systemic neglect, retaliation and multiple deaths in custody.
Federal Judge Orders Immediate Reforms at Adelanto ICE Processing Center
People detained are seen behind fences at the Desert View Annex at the private prison company GEO Group Adelanto ICE Processing Center detention facility in Adelanto, California on July 10, 2025. Donald Trump's promise to carry out the largest deportation operation in US history has appalled some Americans. But others are cashing in on the boom in demand for private detention centers.
"We've heard the horrifying stories of detainees being violently arrested, denied basic medical care, isolated for days, and left injured without treatment," said Congresswoman Norma Torres, outside the detention center in Adelanto. Both GEO and ICE have denied allegations of mistreatment at the detention centers. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
A federal judge has ordered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to take immediate steps to remedy conditions she found likely to be unconstitutional at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in Southern California. The facility, run by private operator GEO Group, holds nearly 1,500 people awaiting civil immigration proceedings and has been the subject of repeated complaints and litigation.
Court Finds Likely Constitutional Violations
U.S. District Judge Sunshine Sykes concluded in a ruling issued this week that detainees at Adelanto are likely subject to conditions that violate their constitutional rights. The decision follows a class-action lawsuit filed by detained people, immigrant-rights groups and their legal counsel alleging widespread neglect, inadequate medical care and retaliation against those who complained.
Immediate Requirements and Specific Remedies
The court ordered a series of immediate fixes to reduce the risk of further harm. Among the mandated changes, Adelanto officials must:
- Provide reliable access to clean drinking water and adequate, safe food.
- Ensure proper sanitation, privacy in showers and restrooms, and temperature-appropriate clothing and bedding.
- Permit daily outdoor recreation for detainees.
- Limit administrative segregation (solitary confinement) to documented security needs or at the detainee's request.
- Deliver timely medical care and implement disability accommodations across the facility.
Monitoring, Reporting and Accountability
The court required federal officials to file a corrective action plan within 14 days describing how medical care and disability accommodations will be addressed. To verify compliance, two independent monitors will conduct unannounced inspections and publish monthly public reports. The order also established a confidential grievance system enabling detainees to report concerns directly to the monitors.
"This ruling sends a clear message: no detention facility in this country is above the law," said Rebecca Brown, a supervising attorney with Public Counsel. "The court has recognized what we have known all along, that the conditions inside Adelanto are inhumane."
Background And Allegations
The lawsuit, filed in January by Public Counsel, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, the Immigrant Defenders Law Center and Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, alleged systemic problems including delayed or missed medications, spoiled food, poor water quality, mold in housing units and retaliation against detainees and advocates. Attorneys submitted more than two dozen sworn declarations from current and former detainees, medical and corrections professionals, and lawyers to support their request for emergency relief.
Advocates say at least four people have died in ICE custody at Adelanto since September 2025; some family members allege serious medical needs were ignored or delayed. The facility—located in San Bernardino County's High Desert—has long been a focus of governmental inspections, legal challenges and protests by immigrant-rights organizations.
What Happens Next
Judge Sykes' order does not resolve the underlying lawsuit; rather, it requires federal officials to begin implementing the court's corrective measures immediately while the case proceeds. ICE, DHS and GEO Group retain the right to contest the allegations in ongoing litigation and in further court filings.
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