Intellectually disabled detainee denied cardiac care at California immigration jail; judge orders ICE to provide adequate healthcare
Feb 11, 2026·Location: California City, CA
Country of origin: Eritrea

Yebio Kifle, a 48-year-old intellectually disabled man with congestive heart failure, was detained at California City Detention Facility in Kern County in November 2025 after arrest in Sacramento. His sister reported severe medical neglect, including jaundiced eyes, swollen legs, inability to urinate, and vomiting blood. Medical experts stated he required immediate hospitalization and risked death without urgent care. In February 2026, U.S. District Judge Maxine M. Chesney issued a ruling in response to a class-action lawsuit filed by detainees, ordering ICE to provide constitutionally adequate healthcare, legal representation access, temperature-appropriate clothing, and daily outdoor recreation at the facility. The judge appointed an external monitor to oversee compliance through medical record reviews and on-site inspections.
Timeline
Sources
- Department of Homeland Security must provide 'constitutionally adequate healthcare' at ICE detention center, judge rules
Los Angeles Times·Feb 11, 2026·archived copy
- Judge Orders ICE to Provide Medical Care in Largest Immigration Jail in California
- Judge Orders ICE to Provide 'Adequate Healthcare' at California Facility | KFI AM 640
- Judge orders US to provide California ICE detainees with medical care, attorneys and blankets
lemkininstitute.com·Feb 13, 2026·archived copy
- ‘Waiting for him to die:’ ICE detainee’s sister raises alarm about medical neglect at California facility
San Francisco Chronicle·Apr 15, 2026·archived copy
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