Women held at the Diamondback Correctional Facility in Watonga, Oklahoma, allege that 'almost all' female detainees are suffering vaginal infections because they are being given underwear that is used and unwashed.
The claim, captured in a leaked video cited in a new federal lawsuit, forms the centrepiece of accusations of 'systemic medical neglect' against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) contractors and facility staff.
The video, shared by the advocacy group Injusticias De ICE, was reportedly recorded inside the immigration detention centre. Speaking in Spanish, the woman in the footage says the undergarments they receive are not new, but appear to have been worn before and not properly cleaned.
According to the group's translation, she links these conditions directly to the infections she says are spreading among detainees.
Leaked video from ICE detention—vaginal disease spreading among female detainees."Almost all of us here have vaginal infections," she says."Because the underwear they give us is already used and unwashed."A lawsuit has already been filed against this ICE detention center.… pic.twitter.com/EHFjOJwsvE
The footage surfaced as lawyers for several women held at Diamondback filed a federal lawsuit against ICE contractors and facility employees. The complaint accuses them of 'systemic medical neglect' and describes what it says is a broader pattern of failures that extends beyond the underwear issue.
Among the claims: medical staff did not respond promptly to emergency symptoms, prescriptions were not filled or were delayed, and women were kept in unsanitary conditions that put their health at risk.
Advocates say detainees reported waiting hours or even days to see a nurse, including when they were experiencing heavy bleeding, severe abdominal pain or other concerning symptoms. In some cases, according to the lawsuit, women who sought urgent help were told to drink water, lie down and wait.
Requests for gynaecological examinations were allegedly brushed aside or postponed until the women's conditions had worsened, turning manageable problems into more serious health issues.
The organisation Injusticias De ICE has described the situation as one that 'should shock the conscience'. It highlights the underwear allegations in particular as an example of harm that, it says, is entirely avoidable with basic care and oversight.
The group says some detainees were told that the undergarments were being recycled from previous occupants, without assurances they had been adequately laundered.
ICE's own written detention standards state that people in its custody are supposed to receive clean clothing and underwear, along with timely and appropriate medical care.
The agency has often said that its facilities are regularly inspected and that any deficiencies identified are addressed. However, ICE has not directly commented on the specific allegations being made about conditions at Diamondback.
For campaigners and attorneys, what is described in the lawsuit reflects concerns that have been raised before.
Questions about the treatment of women in ICE custody have surfaced many times over the past decade, including reports of delayed or denied gynaecological care, poorly handled pregnancies and, at some facilities, allegations of non‑consensual or unnecessary medical procedures.
