Diamondback Correctional Facility Investigation Sought by ACLU
Diamondback Correctional Facility Investigation Sought Over Medical Care, Food and Attorney Access
The ACLU and a coalition of civil rights, immigration and legal organizations are calling for a federal investigation into conditions at the Diamondback Correctional Facility in Watonga, alleging detainees have faced inadequate medical care, insufficient food and drinking water, restricted access to attorneys and prolonged isolation. The allegations are detailed in a 14-page letter sent September 30 to the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The Diamondback Correctional Facility investigation requested by the coalition would examine conditions at the 2,160-bed immigration detention center operated by private prison company CoreCivic. The organizations are also asking federal authorities to stop sending additional detainees to Diamondback while the allegations are reviewed. The claims in the letter are allegations from detainees, attorneys and advocacy organizations and have not been established through a court finding.
Diamondback Correctional Facility Investigation Requested by ACLU Coalition
The September 30 letter was signed by organizations including the ACLU of Oklahoma, ACLU National Prison Project, YWCA Tulsa and Council on American-Islamic Relations Oklahoma, along with legal and immigrant advocacy groups.
The coalition says accounts collected from people detained at Diamondback describe problems involving healthcare, nutrition, drinking water, recreation and access to legal representation.
Among the allegations is an account involving a woman who reportedly sought treatment for symptoms of a urinary tract infection for more than a month without receiving adequate medical assistance.
Other detainees reported insufficient food and significant weight loss, according to the coalition.
The organizations also raised concerns about access to clean drinking water and limited opportunities for outdoor recreation, describing conditions they say have contributed to isolation inside the facility.
The ACLU of Oklahoma's official Diamondback complaint and request for federal action provides the organization's account of the allegations and its continuing advocacy involving the Watonga detention center.
The coalition is asking DHS and ICE to conduct a comprehensive review of medical services, food and water access, recreation and other living conditions.
It is also requesting that federal officials halt new detainee intake while that review is underway.
Neither the allegations in the coalition's letter nor the request for an investigation establish that CoreCivic or federal officials violated the law. Any determination would require further investigation or legal proceedings.
Attorneys Say Confidential Access to Detainees Has Been Difficult
Access to legal counsel is another central issue raised in the complaint.
Immigration attorneys and advocacy groups say they have experienced continuing problems communicating privately and reliably with clients housed at Diamondback.
The allegations include difficulty arranging confidential telephone or video conversations, delays in reaching detainees and other barriers that advocates say interfere with representation in immigration proceedings.
ICE's own detention standards address legal access and visitation at facilities holding people in federal immigration custody. Those standards cover areas including attorney visitation, confidential legal communication, medical care, recreation and other conditions of confinement.
The coalition argues that conditions reported at Diamondback warrant federal examination under those standards.
Access to attorneys can be especially significant in immigration detention because detainees may be simultaneously dealing with removal proceedings, asylum claims, bond requests or other immigration matters.
Unlike defendants in criminal prosecutions, people facing civil immigration proceedings generally do not have a government-funded right to appointed counsel. That makes access to privately retained attorneys, nonprofit legal organizations and other qualified representatives particularly important.
Concerns about communication at Diamondback did not begin with the September letter.
Families and immigration attorneys reported difficulty reaching people held at the facility earlier in 2026, shortly after detainees began arriving in Watonga.
The new coalition letter brings those earlier complaints together with additional allegations about medical treatment and living conditions and formally asks federal officials to intervene.
Watonga Prison Reopened After Sitting Empty for More Than a Decade
Diamondback's return to operation represented a major change for Watonga and Blaine County.
The prison was originally built in 1998 but had been vacant since 2010 before plans emerged to reopen it for federal immigration detention.
CoreCivic spent approximately $13 million renovating the facility before detainees began arriving in early 2026.
The arrangement followed a contract involving the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, federal immigration authorities and CoreCivic to provide detention capacity in Watonga.
The facility can house more than 2,000 detainees, making it a significant part of federal immigration detention capacity in Oklahoma.
ICE maintains an official detention facility locator and information system providing information for people trying to locate detainees and determine procedures for contacting or visiting individuals in federal immigration custody.
Supporters of reopening Diamondback have pointed to the economic benefits for Watonga, including employment and economic activity associated with operating a large correctional facility.
Immigrant rights and civil liberties organizations have instead focused on detention conditions, transparency, legal access and oversight.
Those competing issues have followed the facility since its reopening.
The September 30 letter now puts the focus directly on DHS and ICE and whether federal officials will conduct the broader review requested by the coalition.
The organizations are seeking an investigation into the reported conditions, corrective action where problems are identified and a pause on additional detainee transfers until the review is completed.
CoreCivic and federal agencies would have an opportunity to respond to the specific allegations, and the filing of the complaint itself does not establish that the claims are true.
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