INS DETAINEE SERIOUSLY INJURED IN FALL

An Albanian man who had spent four months in INS detention in Elizabeth, New Jersey while his asylum claim was pending fell from a second tier railing on August 31, and is now in critical condition in a Newark hospital. According to a hospital spokesperson, the detainee, Vasil Meka, is in a coma and on life support.

The fall occurred during a fire drill, but some wonder whether the accident was not a suicide attempt. At the 300 bed facility in Elizabeth that houses mainly asylum seekers, a detainee attempts or considers suicide almost every 40 days. Detainees who were housed with Meka spoke of him as being depressed by his detention, and by being separated from his family.

Depression among detained asylum seekers is a serious problem. These people have fled political unrest and danger, often risking their lives. Then, when they escape, they are detained during their asylum hearings, a process that can sometimes take years. There are physicians on staff at detention centers, but special arrangements are required for an evaluation by a mental health professional.

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