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Lawsuit alleges sexual assault by Arizona immigration jail guard

December 07, 2011 (1 min read)

"The American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona today filed a lawsuit in federal court on behalf of a 28-year-old transgender woman who was intimidated, harassed, and sexually assaulted by a Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) guard while she was in immigration custody at the CCA-owned and operated Eloy Detention Center.  CCA is the largest operator of immigration detention centers in the country and detains almost half of the 33,000 people in federal custody on any given day.  The lawsuit, filed against CCA, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, and the City of Eloy, charges that local and federal officials failed to protect Tanya Guzman-Martinez from abusive male staff members at the facility in Eloy, even after being notified about the sexual attack and ongoing harassment by staff and other male detainees." ACLU of Arizona, Dec. 5, 2011.