ICE detainees and nonprofit denounce ‘inhumane conditions’ in Natchez facility

Heather Alambarrio, a Texas public school teacher, is married to Rafael Alambarrio, who has been at the Adams County Detention Center in Natchez since March. During a Friday virtual news conference, she put her phone on speaker phone so her husband could share his experiences in detention and she talked about their separation.

Rafael Alambarrio had escaped political persecution in Venezuela in 2024 and began building a life in Texas. He met his wife, Heather, and they married a year later. With her help, he was close to gaining permanent citizenship, only to be detained at a routine immigration appointment and sent to Mississippi.

He is one of 2,000 people at the Adams County Detention Center in Natchez – one of the nation’s largest immigration facilities. Detainees have complained about crowding, measly food, a lack of medical care and lingering fumes.

Read the full story on Mississippi Today.