Letter to DHS Secretary Mayorkas Regarding ICE Detention

LOS ANGELES — According to government documents revealed yesterday, there has been a major outbreak of COVID-19 at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center. Of 80 jailed immigrants tested, 38 have already tested positive, with an undisclosed number of results “still pending.” The documents were provided by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in response to a request made by the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation based on concerns reported by the immigrants. The tests were done on people in two dorms at the center run by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that had reported COVID-19 cases. Last night the ACLU SoCal and the law firm Latham & Watkins filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles an emergency request for a temporary restraining order. It calls for: Immediate testing of all people held at the Adelanto center. The use of a “rapid” test that gives results in hours rather than days. Medical isolation of people confirmed as positive. Medical isolation of people whose test results are pending. The filing also asks for far more disclosure on testing and conditions at the Adelanto center. The lawyers had previously asked for DHS to test everyone held at the facility and the release of medically vulnerable individuals. “We have argued for months that the government’s response to COVID-19 was putting the lives of immigrants held there at great risk,” said Jessica Bansal, senior staff attorney at the ACLU SoCal. “We urge all actors — including the federal government, the state of California, and the federal courts — to take the steps needed to protect these individuals from this deadly disease.” Read the court filing here: https://www.aclusocal.org/sites/default/files/hernandez_roman_tro_application.pdf

On At Liberty, we hear from two men with underlying medical conditions who were recently released from ICE detention during the pandemic.

As the ACLU and other advocates file suits seeking the release of those with medical conditions, public health experts say ICE detention is a “tinderbox” for infection.

The new immigration detention standards set by the Trump administration weaken critical protections and lower oversight requirements. The consequences for the health and safety of people who are detained could be disastrous.