ALLEGATIONS OF SEXUAL ABUSE AT KROME DETENTION CENTER
The INS Office of Internal Audit and the Justice Department Inspector General are investigating allegations that numerous officers at the Krome Detention Center in Miami had sexual contacts with the detainees. While the government has not released the names of those involved, or even how many people are being investigated, at least two officers at the facility have been temporarily reassigned. Among the most serious allegations are two women’s claims to have become pregnant while in detention, one by another detainee, and the other by a guard, and claims that a transsexual detainee was sexually assaulted by a guard. The transsexual, a man in the process of changing his gender, was originally placed in a men’s dorm. Because she was involved in sexual incidents (it was unclear if they were forced or consensual) she was moved to a room by herself. According to the detainee, the male officer assigned to watch her raped her. These are the most serious charges of sexual abuse at the facility since 1990 when a group of Haitian women claimed they were being forced into sex by male guards. The FBI investigated the charges, but never released any public statement on the results of the investigation. If the investigation shows the charges are well-founded, it could lead to internal discipline, or even criminal charges. 
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