The Death of Boubacar Bah

This is the story of Boubacar Bah, a 52-year-old tailor from Guinea who overstayed a tourist visa and died in an immigration detention center. He was one of at least 66 people who died in custody between January 2004 and November 2007 while awaiting civil deportation hearings. Though it is not uncommon for people to get sick or hurt behind bars, the circumstances of Mr. Bah’s death, and of the others, are largely hidden by the immigration detention process, which is subjected to little oversight or accountability.

The records of Mr. Bah’s case were in a file marked “proprietary information” by the Corrections Corporation of America, a private company that has federal contracts to run many detention centers across the country. The company, which has thrived with the immigration crackdown, contributes to both political parties.

The number of people detained in immigration cases has more than tripled since 2001, government officials say. Many vanish into a system that has no resemblance to ordinary American legal procedures. There is no right to a lawyer, limited ability to contest evidence, and isolation from family or friends, who may themselves be vulnerable to deportation.