The lawsuit details the sexual harassment and physical abuse she endured while held in immigration detention in Baker County
MIAMI, FL – Yesterday, the ACLU of Florida, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, and Gibson Dunn filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of a 33-year-old woman named Ana* who was subject to abuse while she was held at the Baker County Detention Center, a county jail operating as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility. The lawsuit details unlawful sexual harassment and voyeurism, repeated unauthorized use of excessive force, medical neglect, lack of language access, and abuse of solitary confinement.
A survivor of human trafficking and domestic violence, Ana arrived at Baker in May 2023 suffering from diagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder, clinical depression, and clinical anxiety. Though Ana is a native Spanish speaker, Baker officials made little attempt to utilize translation or interpretation services, often leaving her confused and unable to communicate.
At one point, when Ana asked for feminine hygiene products, Baker officers yelled at her in English and took her to solitary confinement for not complying with their commands that she did not understand. Officers then kept her in solitary for almost a month, without providing her with adequate mental health care. While in solitary confinement, Ana began hitting her head against a wall in distress. In response, male guards stripped her, strapped her to a restraint chair, and laughed at her while her breasts were exposed.
“Faced with a woman in crisis, Baker officers chose to demean and degrade Ana at every turn,” said Sarah Gillman, Director of Strategic U.S. Litigation at Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights. “Her story is emblematic of a much broader problem. From denying women menstrual products to physically assaulting detained people, Baker has no regard for basic human decency.”
Ana’s lawsuit follows a November 2024 whistleblower disclosure by a former medical practitioner at Baker, who came forward regarding blatant breaches of federal law at the facility. The whistleblower’s statement corroborated years of evidence and confirmed systemic abuses at Baker, including denial of basic medical care, staff falsifying records, and racial and sexual harassment.
Aside from the whistleblower’s disclosure, Baker has a long history of sexual harassment and abuse. In 2024, a former Baker officer was convicted of sexual battery of a detained woman. In 2022, the ACLU of Florida filed a Prison Rape Elimination Act complaint outlining a pattern of sexual abuse and voyeurism at the facility, citing multiple cases of officers photographing women in their undergarments and watching them as they showered and changed clothes. Last year, in response to a prior civil rights complaint which was submitted to the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, DHS confirmed several egregious conditions issues at Baker, including abuse by facility staff.
“Unfortunately, the abuse that Ana endured at Baker reflects a broader and deeply troubling pattern of inhumane conditions in ICE detention centers across Florida,” said Amy Godshall, legal fellow, immigrants' rights attorney at the ACLU of Florida. “Too many people are suffering in silence, facing horrific conditions, and unable to speak out about the dehumanization they face in ICE detention. Ana’s decision to take her story out of the shadows speaks to her immeasurable courage and resilience. In this critical moment, we stand with her to seek justice and hold Baker responsible for the harm it has caused.”
RFKHR and the ACLU of Florida call for the facility's immediate closure. The complaint is here.
