Arrested reporter slams conditions at US detention centers

By Adrian Sainz The Associated Press

5 years ago

FILE -In this April 3, 2018 file photo, Memphis police arrest Spanish-language reporter Ma ... — FILE -In this April 3, 2018 file photo, Memphis police arrest Spanish-language reporter Manuel Duran during an immigration protest in Memphis, Tenn. Duran, who has been facing deportation since his arrest 15 months ago, was released Thursday, July 11, 2019 from custody as his case proceeds. (Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal via AP, File)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Spanish-language reporter who was recently released from immigration custody says he was held for 15 months in detention centers that were plagued by insects and he had to bathe with cold water from water hoses.

During a news conference Wednesday, Manuel Duran discussed what he called inhumane conditions at immigration detention facilities in Louisiana and Alabama. Duran was released from an Alabama facility on bail last week.

The El Salvador native was arrested while covering an April 3, 2018, rally protesting immigration policies in Memphis. Protest-related charges were subsequently dropped, but Duran was picked up by immigration agents on a pending deportation order after he was released from jail.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Bryan Cox challenged Duran’s assertion about bathing with hoses and said facilities are regularly inspected.