A permanent resident who was deported to Trinidad and Tobago last year is seeking $10 million from the Trump administration, claiming he was subjected to medical neglect and abuse while being held in a South Texas immigration facility.
The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Texas filed the tort claim on behalf of 55-year-old Elton Purvis. The claim is one of dozens filed across the United States by the ACLU against the federal government on behalf of people who "have suffered serious violence, abuse, and neglect at the hands of federal law enforcement."
Purvis spent seven months in detention in several different facilities, including the South Texas Detention Complex in Pearsall. The ACLU said Purvis is a Type 1 diabetic who requires regular medical monitoring and specialized treatments. They said Purvis was repeatedly denied that care while held in detention.
Purvis was found unresponsive and required hospitalization on multiple occasions, the ACLU said.
What they're saying:
ACLU attorney Caro Rivera Nelson said Purvis' story was a representation of what other detainees face in Texas immigration detention centers.
"Individuals are left in inhumane conditions for months on end without access to adequate medical care, edible food, potable water, or a way out," Nelson said. "While in detention, Mr. Purvis filed over 100 grievances to ICE and followed every channel available to ask for medical help – nothing worked."
Purvis, who has nine U.S. citizen children, was returning home to attend the graduations of two of his sons when he was detained U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at Boston's Logan Airport in May 2025. The claim said Purvis was suffering from malaria when he was detained.
The claim states that ICE officers confiscated Purvis' insulin and malaria medications and did not allow him to take the medications.
Court filings state Purvis wasn't treated for his malaria for the first 12 days he was in ICE custody.
Purvis claims the guards often ignored his requests for medical help and would "ignore his pleas for help." The claim states that he once asked for help from a passing nurse who told the guards to take Purvis to the medical unit, but the guards ignored the request.
The claim states that Purvis was found unresponsive in his cell at least three times during his detention because of low blood sugar level, and was taken to the hospital because of his "dangerously low blood sugar levels" at least three times, but "not necessarily the same times as when he was found unconscious."
What they're saying:
"Being in detention broke my courage. It felt like they were trying to kill me," Purvis said. "I was so desperate to receive medical help. So many times, I knew I was on the verge of going into diabetic shock. I often had to beg for help as my sugar dropped and I started feeling shortness of breath, dizziness and seeing stars. I would pray that the guards would send help before I became unresponsive."
In total, the ACLU has filed 54 claims across 17 states and Washington, D.C.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the ACLU of Texas.