Immigration detention facility staff fired pepper spray and chemical agents at migrants, disturbing photo shows
- The DHS Inspector General issued a report detailing abuse at an Arizona immigration facility.
- One photo in the report shows staff using pepper spray on detainees.
- The DHS report said the detainees were pepper-sprayed after holding a peaceful protest.
A photo from a report by the US Department of Homeland Security's inspector general shows staff at an immigration facility in Eloy, Arizona, using pepper spray and chemical agents on migrants.
The report, released Thursday, found employees at the facility abused and neglected the medical needs of detainees at the facility.
An image from surveillance video at the La Palma Correctional Center shows staff lined up and firing pepper spray at detainees at the facility on April 13, 2020.
According to the report, detainees had held a peaceful protest that day over not being provided personal protective equipment to help stop the spread of COVID-19 in the facility.
Detainees told investigators that the facility used "pepper spray, pepper balls, and chemical agents, and punished protesting detainees with lengthy stays in segregation," according to the report.
The investigation found chemical agents were sprayed from the ceiling as staff fired pepper spray from handheld devices.
One detainee said he was injured by pepper balls, but felt too intimidated to seek help, the report said.