Through a Texas public records request, Ryan Foley obtained audio recordings of 130 emergency calls placed from the largest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center to the city of El Paso. The calls, spanning from the camp’s opening in August through Jan. 20, revealed repeated medical crises and at least six instances in which detainees expressed suicidal thoughts or attempted self-harm.
Foley teamed with Michael Biesecker and Morgan Lee to build on the audio with interviews from detainees and court document analysis. The reporting painted a disturbing portrait of overcrowding, medical neglect, malnutrition and emotional distress inside a facility housing an average of about 3,000 people per day. One detainee recounted overhearing a security guard discussing bets among staff over who might be the next person to die by suicide.
Lee photographed the camp from outside the Army base where it operates, and Kevin Vineys produced a satellite image and map to show the physical layout of the pop-up facility. Allen Breed created a video package incorporating excerpts from the 911 calls alongside detainee interviews.
Judges praised the reporters’ diligence in obtaining and verifying the emergency audio and for pairing it with deeply impactful firsthand accounts.
For compelling and important accountability journalism, Foley, Biesecker and Lee win this week’s Best of AP — First Winner.
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