STATE
Torrance County ICE detainees say tap water causing skin problems amid local water emergency
Water from showers causing rashes, irritation as Estancia implements emergency water-saving measures
The Torrance County Detention Facility in Estancia.
The water shortage afflicting the town of Estancia has coincided with a spike in water quality complaints from immigrant detainees at the nearby Torrance County Detention Facility, according to an immigration lawyer who conducts weekly jail visits.
Tiffany Wang, a staff attorney at Contigo Immigrant Justice, told Source NM last week that she has heard from at least five detainees during legal aid visits in recent weeks that the water they use for showers has caused skin irritation, including rashes.
Another detainee, Roney Pereira, 55, told Source NM in a recent phone interview from the facility that he believes the water has caused rashes and skin irritation and increased his hair loss. The Brazilian detainee, held at the jail for roughly a year, said a doctor at the facility largely dismissed his concerns when he visited her about two weeks ago.
鈥淢y hair 鈥� dropped, and my skin is terrible,鈥� Pereira said in English, which is not his first language. He said the facility鈥檚 doctor told him to limit the number of showers he takes to 鈥渕aybe two times per week.鈥�
Officials from CoreCivic, which owns and operates the facility, did not respond to Source NM鈥檚 repeated requests for comment on Pereira鈥檚 allegations and the water situation generally. But CoreCivic spokesperson Ryan Gustin told recently that the company has increased the amount of drinking water it ships in from elsewhere and that operations were unaffected otherwise.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, at the facility, also did not respond to Source NM鈥檚 emailed request for comment Friday.
In late June, Estancia trustees voted to declare a water emergency due to alarmingly low levels of water in city storage tanks, authorizing emergency procurement and repairs to prevent taps from running dry across the town of roughly 1,300 people.
The order prompted city officials to reduce the detention facility鈥檚 intake from the city鈥檚 water system. Local officials have described the facility as the town鈥檚 biggest water customer in a municipal system that diverts roughly 85% of all its water to commercial purposes, according to the news outlet.
Estancia trustees and Torrance County commissioners did not return Source NM鈥檚 requests for comment. Estancia Mayor Runnel Riley, who has taken a leave of absence, also could not be reached for comment.
The water that detainees say is causing health issues comes not from drinking water, which is available in water jugs throughout holding pods, but instead from sink taps in cells and showerheads in bathrooms.
Wang and Pereira said detainees generally avoid drinking tap water due to its odor and cloudy appearance.
鈥淚 think everything that I hear is just that it seems off, right? Like the water just does not seem like water that would be either potable or even safe to put on your body,鈥� Wang said.
Jerry Tindell, who works at the Bean Valley RV Park in Estancia, said water pressure has increased in recent days and he鈥檚 eager for the situation to resolve. He noted that village officials are planning to drill a new well in mid-August to increase the water supply.
The village鈥檚 emergency order authorized it to pursue a roughly $5 million grant from the New Mexico Water Trust Board to drill an additional municipal well.
鈥淚鈥檓 sure we鈥檒l be fine after that,鈥� Tindell said.
