U.S. Rep. André Carson visits Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Indiana MIAMI COUNTY, Ind. (WISH) — Faster access to medical care might have prevented an in-custody death, Congressman André Carson said ICE detainees told him on Thursday. Carson toured the Immigration and Cus toms Enforcement detention center housed at the Miami Correctional Facility and spoke with two detainees, as well as corrections staff. He said the two detainees, one from Haiti and the other from the country of Georgia, told him there is no intercom system to summon help in case of an emergency. He said one of the detainees recounted not receiving any medical care for two weeks while he was seriously ill, and then only receiving Tylenol when care finally arrived. Two detainees, Lorth Sim, of Cambodia, and Tuan Van Bui, of Vietnam, have died while being held in ICE custody at the facility since Jan. 1. The ACLU said Lorth was a lawful permanent resident and Tuan had lived in the United States for 25 years. Lorth died Feb. 18 from what immigration officials said was a heart condition aggravated by diabetes, while Tuan’s death on April 1 is still under investigation. Carson said the detainees he spoke with told him in one of those deaths, they could hear the person screaming but were unable to summon help. He said they told him they believed the death could have been prevented if an intercom system had been in place. Carson did not specify whether the detainees were referring to Lorth or Tuan’s death. “(The detainees) felt the personnel dismissed the screams because they thought the person was joking around,” he said. ICE began housing detainees in a disused wing of the prison at the beginning of October, after working out an agreement with the Braun administration. ICE has said it can house up to 1,000 detainees at Miami. The agency also houses detainees at the Clark, Clay and Clinton county jails. Besides medical care, Carson said the detainees told him meals are often served at irregular times, such as breakfast as early as 3:00 a.m. He said the detainees also told him they have not had access to clean clothing and have had to wash their clothes in sinks. Carson said detainees do have access to a psychologist but it wasn’t clear to him how readily. A few dozen protesters joined Carson outside the prison. Rev. Worth Hartman, a minister with the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers, said he was not surprised by Carson’s report. He said detainees have reported similar conditions to chaplains and other workers. “It’s just not the way human beings should be treated, whatever their status or situation,” he said. Leah Kramer, an organizer with Southside Indyvisible, said she was especially upset by Carson’s account of a detainee waiting for weeks to get care. “I mean, kids in our elementary schools and high schools can walk down the hall to a nurse and they get excellent care and detainees can’t even get two Tylenol when they’re violently ill? That’s not okay,” Kramer said. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said in a statement to News 8 they welcome Congressional visits. They said detainees at the facility receive around-the-clock care. “It is a longstanding practice to provide comprehensive medical care from the moment an alien enters ICE custody. This includes medical, dental, and mental health services as available, and access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care. This is the best healthcare that many aliens have received in their entire lives.”ICE spokesperson ...read more read less