Note: this article, featuring Government Accountability Project, was originally published here.
Most Immigration Detainees Could Get COVID-19: Report
A new report predicts that within 90 days, between 72 percent and nearly 100 percent of people in the custody of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency will be infected with coronavirus, The Appeal reports in an email newsletter. The report was produced by a collaboration of experts from several universities and the nonprofit Government Accountability Project.
If this scenario unfolds, it would have a dire effect on local health care systems. In the most optimistic projection, the outbreaks at half of all ICE facilities would overwhelm ICE beds within a 10-mile radius, the report says. “As policymakers seek to rapidly implement interventions that ensure the continued availability of life-saving medical resources across the United States, they may be overlooking the pressing need to slow the spread of COVID-19 infection in ICE’s detention facilities,” the report says “Preventing the rapid spread necessitates intervention measures such as granting ICE detainees widespread release from an unsafe environment by returning them to the community.”