“Seven officers put me to the ground, some of them holding me, they held my hands and my neck, while the others, kicked my back and my sides. They tried to handcuff me and they broke my fingers, my knees cut and bleeding.”

This complaint to the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties describes how officials at the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility (BFDF) severely beat an asylum seeker from Mali and then locked him in solitary confinement after he exercised his free speech right to not sign immigration-related documents.

This incident is part of a larger pattern of systemic human rights violations at BFDF, including officials’ unlawful use of force, punitive solitary confinement, and First Amendment retaliation.

What solutions exist?

The pervasive pattern of human rights violation at BFDF shows that the detention center must be shut down.

In the meantime, Department of Homeland Security oversight agencies should immediately investigate systemic rights violations occurring at BFDF and the Department of Homeland Security should take immediate remedial action against all those engaged in wrongdoing.

How can I get involved?

Read our complaint to learn more about the unlawful use of force by officers at BFDF.

December 19, 2024

Complaint to the US Department of Homeland Security, regarding Unlawful Use of Force at BFDF in Batavia, NY