>> Sreenivasan: AS THE COVID-19

PANDEMIC RAGED IN EARLY 2020,

U.S. IMMIGRATION COURTS SHUT

DOWN.

MANY OF THE 38,000 MIGRANTS HELD

IN FEDERAL DETENTION CENTERS AT

THE TIME HAD THEIR COURT DATES

CANCELED, WITH NO INDICATION OF

HOW LONG THEY'D BE WAITING.

IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS

ENFORCEMENT-- ICE-- IS

NOT REQUIRED BY LAW TO DETAIN

PEOPLE WITH PENDING CASES.

BUT EVEN WITH THE THREAT OF

TRANSMISSION OF THE VIRUS,

MOST REMAINED IN DETENTION.

BY THE END OF MAY, 2020, ICE HAD

ONLY TESTED ABOUT 10% OF ALL

DETAINEES.

BUT MORE THAN HALF THOSE TESTED

POSITIVE FOR THE CORONAVIRUS.

NOW, A NEW DOCUMENTARY CALLED

"THE FACILITY," WHICH IS SHORT-

LISTED FOR AN ACADEMY AWARD,

SHOWS THE CONDITIONS INSIDE

ONE DETENTION CENTER DURING THE

PANDEMIC.

NEWSHOUR WEEKEND'S IVETTE

FELICIANO HAS MORE.

>> Reporter: IN 2020,

INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST

SETH FREED WESSLER USED A

PAY-PER-MINUTE VIDEO-CALL APP

TO MAKE CONTACT WITH DOZENS OF

IMMIGRANTS DETAINED INSIDE THE

IRWIN COUNTY PRIVATE DETENTION

CENTER IN OCILLA, GEORGIA.

THEY WERE WAITING FOR COURT

DATES TO LEARN WHETHER OR NOT

THEY COULD STAY IN THE COUNTRY,

AND THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC HAD

BEGUN.

>> I BEGAN HAVING THESE

CONVERSATIONS, INTENDING TO

WRITE PRINT STORIES.

I WROTE A SERIES OF STORIES,

INCLUDING FOR THE "NEW YORK

TIMES MAGAZINE," ABOUT WHAT WAS

HAPPENING IN IRWIN COUNTY

DETENTION CENTER, AND IN ICE

DETENTION IN GENERAL, DURING THE

EARLY MONTHS OF THE PANDEMIC.

IT STRUCK ME THAT THERE WAS THIS

VISUAL WORLD THAT WAS EMERGING,

THAT I COULDN'T REALLY

ARTICULATE IN WRITING, I THINK,

AS EFFECTIVELY AS I REALIZED I

MIGHT BE ABLE TO THROUGH FILM.

AND SO, I BEGAN TO RECORD ALL OF

THESE CALLS-- WITH THEIR

PERMISSION, OF COURSE-- ON MY

DESKTOP.

>> Reporter: YOU'VE COVERED

DETENTION CENTERS PRETTY

EXTENSIVELY, AND HAVING THIS

ACCESS, THIS INSIDE VIEW--

HOW WAS THAT DIFFERENT, IN YOUR

EXPERIENCE?

>> YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN REPORTING

ON ICE AND IMMIGRATION

ENFORCEMENT FOR YEARS.

AND I THINK, THE LEVEL OF FEAR

THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE DETAINED

INSIDE OF ICE DETENTION CENTERS

WERE ARTICULATING IS LIKE

NOTHING I'VE EVER SEEN BEFORE,

BECAUSE PEOPLE WERE BEING

PROVIDED NO INFORMATION ABOUT

WHAT THE VIRUS, WHAT THIS

PANDEMIC WAS, AND MEANWHILE,

OFFERED NO PROTECTIONS.

DETAINED PEOPLE WERE NOT MASKED,

AND GUARDS WEREN'T MASKING.

AND SO, I WAS WATCHING A PLACE

THAT COULD NOT POSSIBLY HAVE

BEEN SAFE.

>> Reporter: WESSLER USED HIS

RECORDINGS TO MAKE A FILM CALLED

"THE FACILITY," A PRODUCTION OF

THE DOCUMENTARY WEBSITE "FIELD

OF VISION," IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

THE NON-PROFIT NEWSROOM, TYPE

INVESTIGATIONS.

THE FILM FOLLOWS THE STORIES OF

TWO DETAINEES, ANDREA MANRIQUE

AND NILSON BARAHONA-MARRIAGA,

WHO WERE INSIDE IRWIN COUNTY

DURING THE PANDEMIC.

>> Reporter: MARRIAGA FLEW TO

THE U.S. FROM HONDURAS IN 1999

ON A TOURIST VISA, AND NEVER

LEFT.

IN NOVEMBER OF 2019, HE WAS

DETAINED BY ICE AND PLACED

INSIDE IRWIN COUNTY, WHERE

HE CLAIMS CONDITIONS WERE

UNSANITARY, AND GUARDS DEMEANED

MIGRANTS AND CASUALLY IGNORED

THEIR MEDICAL CONCERNS.

HE WAS RELEASED BY ICE IN

NOVEMBER WITHOUT EXPLANATION,

HE SAYS, AND IS NOW WAITING FOR

A RESPONSE TO HIS GREEN CARD

APPLICATION.

>> THIS COUNTRY, THE GOVERNMENT

IS WILLING TO GO AND FIGHT WARS

OVERSEAS, YOU KNOW, TO DEFEND

PEOPLE'S RIGHTS.

BUT HERE, THE UNITED STATES,

HUMAN RIGHTS HAVE BEEN VIOLATED.

YOU KNOW?

THE TRUTH IS THAT WITHOUT THE

PANDEMIC, THIS IS-- IT WAS A

HORRIBLE PLACE.

YOU WASN'T TREATED LIKE-- LIKE A

HUMAN BEING, YOU KNOW?

>> Reporter: IRWIN COUNTY HELD A

DAILY AVERAGE OF 754 MIGRANTS IN

2020.

ICE REPORTS A TOTAL OF 146

PEOPLE THERE TESTED POSITIVE FOR

COVID-19 SINCE IT BEGAN TESTING

IN FEBRUARY OF THAT YEAR.

A COALITION OF IMMIGRANT RIGHTS

ADVOCATES IN GEORGIA SAY THE

NUMBER COULD BE MUCH HIGHER DUE

TO WHAT THEY CALL A LACK OF

ROUTINE TESTING AND REPORTING AT

THE FACILITY.

IN THE DOCUMENTARY, MARRIAGA AND

MANRIQUE ARE SHOWN PARTICIPATING

IN A HUNGER STRIKE INSIDE IRWIN

COUNTY, DEMANDING BETTER

PROTECTIONS, INCLUDING MASK

REQUIREMENTS AND A PROMISE TO

STOP BRINGING IN NEW DETAINEES.

MANRIQUE, SEEN HERE SPEAKING TO

HER LAWYER, HELPED MAKE A

PROTEST VIDEO THAT WENT VIRAL.

( translated )

>> Reporter: THE FILM ALLEGES

RETALIATION FOR THE PROTESTS BY

THE FACILITY'S STAFF, IN THE

FORM OF PHYSICAL ABUSE AND

SOLITARY CONFINEMENT.

THE SAME DAY MARRIAGA WAS

RELEASED, MANRIQUE SAYS SHE WAS

ALSO RELEASED, WITHOUT

EXPLANATION.

SHE SPOKE WITH ME VIA ZOOM FROM

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

>> ( translated ): I CAME TO

THIS COUNTRY TO ASK FOR REFUGE

AND TO BE PROTECTED, BUT I FELT

EVEN MORE THREATENED HERE.

I SAID, THEY DON'T VALUE MY LIFE

HERE, EITHER.

MY LIFE IS WORTH NOTHING HERE,

AS WELL.

AND THAT WAS HARD FOR ME TO

BELIEVE.

>> Reporter: MANRIQUE IS STILL

WAITING FOR HER DAY IN

IMMIGRATION COURT TO ARGUE

HER ASYLUM CASE, AFTER SPENDING

26 MONTHS IN DETENTION, 19 OF

THEM INSIDE IRWIN COUNTY.

>> ( translated ): SEEING THIS

DOCUMENTARY WILL OPEN YOUR EYES,

AND MY INTENTION BY

PARTICIPATING IN IT AND ALLOWING

THIS TO COME OUT TO THE WORLD IS

TO SHOW A REALITY THAT IS

AFFECTING MANY PEOPLE, THOUSANDS

OF PEOPLE WHOSE LIVES ARE BEING

CHANGED FOR GOOD.

BEFORE, WE WERE PEOPLE IN CRISIS

WITH PROBLEMS, AND TODAY, WE

HAVE MANY MORE PROBLEMS AND MORE

EMOTIONAL SCARS.

>> Reporter: IN MAY, SECRETARY

OF HOMELAND SECURITY ALEJANDRO

MAYORKAS ORDERED ICE TO

DISCONTINUE THE USE OF IRWIN

COUNTY DETENTION CENTER, SAYING:

"D.H.S. FACILITIES AND THE

TREATMENT OF INDIVIDUALS IN

THOSE FACILITIES WILL BE HELD TO

OUR HEALTH AND SAFETY STANDARDS.

WHERE WE DISCOVER THEY FALL

SHORT, WE WILL CONTINUE TO TAKE

ACTION."

THE ANNOUNCEMENT CAME AFTER A

NURSE WHISTLEBLOWER THERE

ALLEGED MEDICAL ABUSES,

INCLUDING UNNECESSARY

GYNECOLOGICAL PROCEDURES ON

DETAINED IMMIGRANT WOMEN,

WHICH PROMPTED A FEDERAL

INVESTIGATION THAT IS ONGOING.

JOURNALIST SETH FREED WESSLER

HOPES THE DOCUMENTARY WILL SHED

NEW LIGHT ON ICE, AND ITS POLICY

OF DETAINING IMMIGRANTS.

>> NEARLY NOBODY WHO'S IN ICE

DETENTION HAS TO BE DETAINED, AS

A MATTER OF LAW.

AND SO, DURING THE PANDEMIC,

ONE OF THE THINGS PEOPLE WHO

WERE HELD INSIDE WERE SAYING IS,

LET US PROCEED WITH OUR

IMMIGRATION CASES FROM THE

SAFETY OF OUR HOMES.

AND ICE COULD HAVE MADE THE

DECISION TO DO THAT, AND

CHOSE NOT TO, FOR THE MOST PART,

DURING THE PANDEMIC.

AND I THINK PART OF WHAT I HOPE

THIS FILM DOES IS TO RAISE THE

QUESTION ABOUT WHETHER IT MAKES

SENSE FOR ICE DETENTION TO BE

SUCH A CENTRAL COMPONENT OF THE

WAY THAT IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT

PROCEEDS IN THE UNITED STATES.