Murillo Vega v. Management and Training Corporation

Carlos Murillo Vega was detained by ICE officials and ultimately held in solitary confinement for fourteen months.

The facility where Mr. Murillo was held is a private, for-profit corporation with whom the State of California and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has contracted. This corporation, Management and Training Corporation (MTC) is alleged to intentionally understaff and under resource its facilities. The consequences of this are manyfold. The conditions this creates within the facilities violate MTC’s contract with the government. Specifically, their use of solitary confinement violates domestic and international laws, including human rights standards by which the United States has agreed to comply.

Mr. Murillo originally requested solitary confinement on staff “advice” that it was safer, but upon Mr. Murillo realizing this was not true, as well as realizing that his mental health was in danger, MTC repeatedly denied his requests to be removed from solitary confinement. In total, Mr. Murillo was held in solitary confinement for over fourteen months.

It is worth noting that when animal researchers wish to conduct studies on solitary confinement in mice, they must receive special permission because solitary confinement is considered so cruel to the mice.

This case addresses the torture Mr. Murillo experienced through solitary confinement and addresses the fact that MTC has violated its contract with the government, which includes using public funds to break international law.

California recently enacted legislation which allows for everyday people to sue when a private detention corporation violates their rights. We believe, and the facts support the finding, that MTC violated Mr. Murillo’s fundamental human rights, that they did so intentionally, and that Mr. Murillo is entitled to remedy in U.S. courts.

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