For nearly two weeks, Kon Kuac says he has struggled to breathe. His congestion and shortness of breath make it hard for him to get restorative sleep.

Although he has yet to receive his test results from staff, Kuac believes he’s one of the 22 cases of COVID-19 inside the Caroline Detention Facility that currently houses approximately 200 people. According to data from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the number of infections has steadily increased since the beginning of January.

“It’s been difficult to sleep because at night, you can’t really breathe because there’s no ventilation,” says Kuac, who’s currently being detained at the facility in Bowling Green, Virginia. “You just try to breathe through your nose and try to get the night over with.”

Since the onset of his symptoms, Kuac — who was vaccinated against COVID-19 —  says it’s been nearly impossible to isolate from others, and that staff have taken a laissez-faire approach to the latest surge.

“We’ve been around each other for almost a week now so we’ve been breathing each other’s air,” says Kuac. “They just be giving you Tylenol if you tell them you can’t breathe, or you have a headache, or you have all these symptoms.”

Now, Kuac and others detained at the Caroline Detention Facility are calling for an investigation into the staff’s response to the surge. They say the situation is being mishandled – staff members are refusing to wear masks or to properly isolate positive cases from the general population. They’re also alleging that individuals with moderate COVID-19 symptoms are being left alone in isolation units instead of being placed under medical supervision.

When asked to comment on the COVID policy at the Caroline Detention Facility, an ICE Spokesperson told DCist/WAMU in a written statement that “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) remains committed to applying CDC guidance and providing vaccine education that ensures those in our care and custody can make an informed choice during this global pandemic.”

The spokesperson pointed towards to the ICE COVID-19 policy listed on their website, which states that mitigation efforts consistent with the CDC are being taken to prevent the spread of the virus at the facility.

“If the CDC would do an investigation, they will see officers walking around on a daily basis without their masks,” says Paul White, who is vaccinated, but tested positive for COVID-19. “They do not have a proper housing unit for medical. The only place they have for you is to put you in seg (segregated unit). They don’t have no medical staff sitting and watching you 24-7.”

White, who lives with pre-existing medical conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, says he struggles with his breathing and fears that his condition could worsen.  He worries that the outbreak at Caroline will get worse, and end up like one at the Farmville Detention Center in 2020.

During the Farmville COVID-19 outbreak,  339 people became infected and A 72 year-old man died. It led to a lawsuit that saw a court-approved inspector visit the facility on the behalf of legal groups representing people detained there. The inspector found that staff failed to provide basic medical care and recommended that people at risk for serious illness be released. In the end, a judge ordered ICE to halt further intake and the population count has since dropped to just 12 people. There are currently zero confirmed cases of COVID-19 at the facility in Farmville.

“Sometimes I feel like I will never be able to get out there and be able to provide for my kids because I might die in here,” says White of the Caroline Detention Facility.

Advocates working to end detention in Virginia say the recent outbreak at the Caroline is indicative of a larger problem with the immigration system.

“The current COVID outbreak in Caroline Detention Facility is the result of years of neglect, abuse, and violence at Caroline,” says Margaret Evans of Free Them All VA, a local coalition of immigrant advocates. “It is part of a larger pattern of mass detention and deportation that oppresses, dehumanizes, and kills migrant communities. And it is one of many reasons why we must shut down Caroline, release everyone detained there, and free them all.”

Advocate Amanda Díaz says conditions inside detention facilities have only gotten worse since the pandemic. In August of 2021, Díaz filed a complaint on the behalf of 19 individuals alleging abuse, unsanitary conditions, and medical neglect.

“ICE carries the burden of not providing a safe and sanitary place for people in detention and are responsible for the spread,” says Díaz, the national hotline manager for Freedom for Immigrants. “As many members of the medical community can attest to, social distancing is quite impossible inside of these facilities. So regardless of the little-to-no measures that ICE is providing inside of these facilities, it’s a horrible, horrible time for people inside detention.”

As cases throughout the U.S. and Virginia continue to rise due to the Omicron variant, Díaz says the hotline has received more complaints from people detained in the Caroline Detention Facility who are concerned about the lack of safety measures being taken. According to Díaz, one caller reported feeling dizzy and nauseous, and said that staff are still not separating those who tested positive.

“That’s how the facility be run.” says White. “It doesn’t matter what type of grievance you write, ICE and the facility, they do nothing.”

Still, for White, the recent outbreak has emboldened him to continue challenging an immigration system that he feels is broken.

“I’m not just fighting for me,” says White. “I’m fighting for everybody that’s going through this injustice system that treats immigrants like we are nobody.”

This story has been updated to add that Paul White has been detained at the Caroline Detention Facility only.