Over 32,000 Detained Immigrants At Risk of A Severe COVID-19 Outbreak: A Call For Justice
Guest blogger: Alicia Cuautle Velazquez, graduate student, Migration Studies, University of San Francisco
The outgrowing number of COVID-19 cases in detention centers confirms the fear of detainees who call their circumstance a “death sentence.” Early in the year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020) revealed that the COVID-19 virus is commonly spread from person to person. For that reason, it is crucial to practice social distancing to prevent the virus from spreading further among people. However, immigration detention centers are not physically designed for social distancing given that immigrants are situated in crowded pods, increasing the likelihood of virus infections (Hargrove, Jones, Rivas and Flores020). Ignoring the growth of the pandemic inside detention facilities has contributed to the cases and expansion of the virus within these facilities. Implementing hygiene practices in these facilities will not suffice at this point. ICE needs to use their power to release detainees to halt the spread of the disease among a vulnerable population that is experiencing deaths of COVID-19 at a higher rate in the US.
The Otay Mesa Detention Center (Otay Mesa), located in San Diego, California, is operated by CoreCivic, one of the two largest for-profit corporations in the U.S jail system. Immigrants denounced the conditions inside the detention center and said they are held in crowded areas for long periods of time. Guards and staff at Otay Mesa are using gas masks and hazmat suits to perform their duties, nevertheless, this measure of protection is not extended to the approximate 1,000 detainees. The detained immigrants are being refused face masks while they continue to be transported in buses, and are housed in pods shared with other inmates, thus leaving them vulnerable to COVID-19 (Hargrove, Jones, Rivas and Flores020).
Currently, Otay Mesa is the detention facility with more COVID-19 confirmed cases. As of April 14, a report shows that 19 detainees and eight employees have tested positive for COVID-19 (Rivlin-Nadler, 2020). Those suspected of having COVID-19 are placed in the J Pod, a separate housing unit. Detained immigrants also expressed that CoreCivic is not offering consistent tests for the people that have been transferred to the J Pod, nor to the rest of the detainees. CoreCivic responded by saying they have a Medical Action Plan at each facility along with promoting hand hygiene, respiratory etiquette and recommendations not to touch their face (Hargrove, Jones, Rivas & Flores, 2020). Pueblo Sin Fronteras, a non-profit organization, told Gregorio-Nieto (2020) that women in Otay Mesa asked for personal protective equipment. Following, CoreCivic offered masks if they “signed a waiver declaring CoreCivic’s handling of COVID-19 adequate and releasing them from any COVID-19 liability.” Detainees did not agree and began making their own masks out of fabric. In the process, CoreCivic staff ‘“launched a chemical attack on the women and handcuffed at least three, whom CoreCivic sent to solitary confinement”’ (Gregorio-Nieto, 2020). As we speak, detainees who remain in custody are not guaranteed the protective equipment needed to protect their health. Yet, in the ask for protective equipment, detainees were denied protective equipment at first, then they were offered it only in exchange of waiving CoreCivic’s responsibility of the illness resulting from COVID-19. Health is a fundamental human right and should not be negotiable. Immigrants will not be safe as long as they continue to be detained and their demands remain unheard.
Although a federal judge in California has ordered the release of four migrants who have critical health conditions upon a lawsuit (Ibarra, 2020), there are about 32,300 immigrants held in ICE detention centers across the country (Katz, 2020). ICE used their discretion to release 700 detainees after analyzing their ‘“immigration history, criminal record, potential threat to public safety, flight risk and national security concerns”’ (Katz, 2020). ICE has the power to release anyone at any given time. As professionals mentioned in the Ibarra (2020) report, ICE does not have to wait for a court order to release detainees. Detained immigrants need safer living conditions and should be set free to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, and, ensure they get tested and treated by medical professionals in appropriate clinical settings.
In a detention center setting, guards and staff are the ones considered “essential workers” because they are required to continue operating the detention centers, however, we have to realize detainees will be the most impacted as they are directly exposed to a potential severe uncontrolled increase in the outbreak given their depravation of liberty. The detainees do not have access to adequate medical assistance that can treat their illness if they test positive.(Rayasam, 2019) which should make people question detainees’ current safety. The cases of infection, hospitalization and deaths of COVID-19 are disproportionately affecting Black and Latino people ate compared to their white counterparts (Scott, 2020). We need to change the structures that perpetuate contracting the diseases and the conditions that follow after infections. The release of migrants is a preventative measure to address the current state of public health emergency. This is a call for all of us to support the release of immigrants in detention centers and all other folks in custody. Privatizing and profiting off human beings is unacceptable and addressing the pandemic should not be at the expense of migrant’s lives. Detention centers are a threat to their health perpetuated by the structure and treatment towards them.
References:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020, April 4). Social Distancing, Quarantine and Isolation. Retrieved on April 14, 2020. Web:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/social-distancing.html
Gregorio-Nieto, B. (2020, April 12). 3 Cited During COVID-19 Protest Outside Otay Mesa Detention Center. NBC 7 San Diego. Web: https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/3-cited-during-covid-19-protest-outside-otay-mesa-detention-center/2304368/
Hargrove, D., Jones, T., Rivas, A., & Flores, S. (2020, April 10). Detained Migrants Call Otay Mesa Detention Center a ‘Death Trap.’ NBC 7 San Diego.
Ibarra, V. (2020, April 9). Federal Judge Orders ICE to Release Four Detained Immigrants at Risk of Serious Illness or Death from COVID-19 infection. ACLU Northern California. Web: https://www.aclunc.org/news/federal-judge-orders-ice-release-four-detained-immigrants-risk-serious-illness-or-death-covid
Katz, M. (2020, April 16). ICE Releases Hundreds of Immigrants as Coronavirus Spreads in Detention Centers. NPR. Web: https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/04/16/835886346/ice-releases-hundreds-as-coronavirus-spreads-in-detention-centers
Rayasam, R. (2019, August 20). Trump Administration Sued Over Poor Medical Care in Immigration Centers. POLITICO. Web: https://www.politico.com/story/2019/08/19/trump-administration-sued-medical-care-immigration-centers-1467605
Rivlin-Nadler, M. (2020, April 14). Otay Mesa COVID-19 Outbreak Now the Largest at A US Immigration Center. KPBS Public Media. Web: https://www.kpbs.org/news/2020/apr/14/otay-mesa-detention-center-now-largest-immigration/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=user-share&utm_content=facebook-button&utm_term=share-button
Scott, D. (2020, April 17). Covid-19’s Devastating Toll on Black and Latino Americans, In One Chart. VOX. Web: https://www.vox.com/2020/4/17/21225610/us-coronavirus-death-rates-blacks-latinos-whites
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