Group of ICE detainees allegedly refuse COVID-19 testing, trash Dartmouth correctional facility

DARTMOUTH, MASS. (WHDH) - A group of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement detainees are accused of trashing a unit inside a Dartmouth correctional facility Friday and refusing to be tested for COVID-19, officials said.

A group of about 10 detainees held in the B wing of the Bristol County detention center reported having multiple symptoms of the virus but refused to be tested, according to a release issued by the sheriff’s office.

The detainees were said to have “rushed violently” at Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson and corrections officers reportedly had to barricade themselves inside the facility as they ripped washing machines and pipes off the wall and broke windows.

Three of those detainees were rushed to the hospital.

Bristol County Sheriff’s Office corrections officers, special response team members, and the K9 unit entered the facility and were attacked by the ICE detainees, according to the release.

Once officers were able to get the situation under control, three detainees were transported to a hospital.

One for symptoms of a panic attack, one for a pre-existing medical condition, and another for a medical incident after being removed from the ICE wing. All three are expected to be fine.

“I want to commend our medical professionals and our security team for their amazing work for quickly resolving the disturbance,” Hodgson said.

The damage to the wing is said to be extensive.

Detainees have been moved to single cells in the special housing unit pending disciplinary action, COVID testing, and criminal charges.

In a statement Carol Rose, executive director of the ACLU of Massachusetts said, “These reports are deeply disturbing. We are concerned for our clients, and everyone detained in the Bristol County House of Correction and ICE detention.”

Representative Joseph Kennedy III is calling for an independent investigation of the incident and for the release of surveillance video “to ensure accountability.”

“Given the conflicting reports coming from all involved, there needs to be an immediate, independent investigation into what occurred last night at the Bristol County House of Corrections. All people held at this facility deserve to be treated with humanity and dignity,” Kennedy said in a statement on Saturday.

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