Family members of detainees and employees at Krome Detention Center have made calls to 911 to ask for medical help after not receiving adequate response from the facility, according to calls reviewed by NBC6. NBC6 reviewed dozens of calls to emergency services from April through June 30 that detail the conditions and health of detainees at the United States' oldest immigration detention facility and one with a long history of abuse. It saw its prisoner population recently swell to nearly three times its capacity of 600, according to the Associated Press. Here are some glimpses into the 9-1-1 calls we listened to. APRIL 20, 2025 A phone call was placed from an employee inside Krome Detention Center: “Um, we have a detainee – he appears to be, he’s drooling out the mouth, I’m not sure if he’s unresponsive. He’s not responding to anything, so he’s just sitting there drooling out the mouth.” The caller detailed that there were nurses inside the room. The detainee was a 37-year-old male. The caller shared that the detainee was in one spot and was not responding. She stated further that he was drooling and not conscious. A second phone call was placed from another employee inside the detention facility, “I have a patient who, it appears he is in a catatonic state, unresponsive drooling.” “Are you with the patient now?” asked the operator with the Sheriff’s Office. “I am,” the employee said. She said the detainee was awake but unresponsive, breathing slowly. The sheriff’s office alerted that a paramedic would be sent to the location, which was called the segregation housing unit. APRIL 28, 2025 An employee from Krome Detention Center called: “We have a patient who has a [inaudible word] head injury, and has history of previous stroke. Now he is disoriented and not talkable, not talking.” The employee said the 44-year-old male patient was awake and breathing but not responding to commands. She shared that he received the head injury after falling, and that at the time of the call was still lying on the floor. It was not made clear how the detainee fell. The employee shares the detainee has no history of heart issues, but was sweating a lot. The detainee was in the medical housing unit. MAY 13, 2025 A call from inside Krome Detention Center detailed that a patient’s blood pressure was elevated. The caller said they were not with the patient, but that the patient was a 50-year-old male. The detainee was awake and breathing, but his blood pressure was high. MAY 15, 2025 A call from inside Krome Detention Center from a Lieutenant (for privacy purposes, he will be referred to as "Lt. D") said they were located in the processing area. “Ugh, there is a guy who arrived here, a detainee. Per medical staff he is, he is having psychosis, that is the reason we are calling.” Lt. D said that the detainee is a white male with gray clothes on. MAY 21, 2025 “We got a new arrival detainee over here saying he has chest pains. Saying he has a prior medical history,” an employee said in a call. The caller said that the medical staff is with the detainee, who is about 28 years old. He was awake, breathing and alert. When the Sheriff’s Office operator asked if he was breathing normally. “Not sure,” the caller said. “Does he have difficulty breathing between breaths?” the operator asked. “I’m not sure,” the caller said. MAY 24, 2025 Lt.D called the Sheriff’s Office, describing that a detainee is complaining of chest pains. The caller said that medical staff can’t see the detainee because he has not finished processing. Lt.D shared that he is awake, alive, and completely alert, breathing normally and his skin was not changing color. The paramedics were sent. MAY 31, 2025 Lt. D called again, “I have a detainee that’s kind of like thrown up three or four times. His like white, his skin is pale, and we don’t know exactly what’s wrong with him.” He told the operator that he does not have information on the detainee, but he is awake and breathing. The detainee was in processing. JUNE 6, 2025A loved one of a detainee made a call to the Sheriff’s Office. “He’s really in really, really, bad condition. He has been sick for the past two weeks, and now he has been coughing blood, and he cannot breathe. He’s in a lot of pain especially in the joints," she said. The operator interrupted her, “Ma’am, ma’am, hold on a moment. He’s at the Krome Detention Center?” The family member said yes, and then the operator responded with, “Why didn’t he call the nurse to order it for him? We can’t order it, they need to.” The loved one responded, “They told him that they are not going to call nobody, and they are not going to do anything. So, they told him three hours ago that they were going to call an ambulance in an hour. Then they changed shifts and this new person for the new shift, told him that he’s not going to call nobody.” The operator asked why the detainee didn’t call the Sheriff’s Office themselves, to which the caller shared that he couldn’t call police since he was inside Krome. The detainee is 29 years old and told his family member that he was going to faint, couldn’t breathe, and was in a lot of pain in his joints. He said that he was having a hard time breathing and was coughing up blood. JUNE 10, 2025 “Okay, we have a patient with acute abdominal pain. He’s going to be sent for appendicitis. They are thinking he has appendicitis,” a nurse said from inside Krome Detention Center. The caller said he is not with the 67-year-old detainee but that the detainee is awake, breathing, and completely alert. NBC6 has reached out to Krome Detention Center officials for comment. In a statement, U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement said: "U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement prioritizes the health, safety, and well-being of all detainees in its care and remains committed to ensuring that all those in its custody reside in safe, secure, and humane environments. It is a longstanding practice to provide comprehensive medical care from the moment an alien enters ICE custody; this includes medical, dental, and mental health intake screening within 12 hours of arriving at each detention facility, a full health assessment within 14 days of entering ICE custody or arrival at a facility, and access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care. At no time during detention is a detained individual denied emergent care. The ICE Health Service Corps comprises over 1,600 employees, including U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps officers, federal civil servants, and contract health professionals, who uphold the highest standards as they provide direct healthcare at agency-owned facilities and oversee care in contract facilities with care available based on the Performance-Based National Detention Standards. ICE ERO Detention, Removals and Information Line (DRIL) The DRIL is a toll-free service that provides a direct channel for agency stakeholders to communicate with ERO to answer questions and resolve concerns. Stakeholders may reach the DRIL by dialing 1-888-351-4024. Live, trained operators are available Monday through Friday (excluding holidays) from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Eastern Time) to answer calls. Language assistance, including Spanish operators, is also available. Contact center representatives will answer calls and assist with resolution on subjects such as: Reports of victims of human trafficking and other crimes; Incidents of sexual or physical assault or abuse; Requests for removal to home country; Serious or unresolved problems in detention; Reports on individuals with serious mental disorders or conditions; Separation of minor child or other dependent and other parental related issues; Inquiries from other law enforcement entities; and Requests for basic case information. To report suspicious activity or other investigative tips, call 1-866-DHS-2-ICE." A report was recently conducted at Krome, where they interviewed 57 detainees and found the top concerns were with hold room times and medical care. Standards mentioned in the report say a person can’t be in a holding facility for more than 12 hours. The report found people waiting for up to 23 hours in a holding room. The report also found staff hadn’t logged holding room placement activity since February, and that some detainees had no tuberculosis screenings or medical and mental health evaluations conducted in the required time frame upon arrival at Krome. Stay with us for more on these calls throughout the week on NBC6.