The health of immigrant families is at risk

Families detained by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) are at risk as the first positive cases of coronavirus were reported in family centers.

ICE’s responsibilities

ICE is the entity in charge of protecting borders, inspecting merchandise entering the US, and overseeing Immigration Detention Centers around the country, including family detention centers.

This entity is one of the branches of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and works closely with the US government to define the measures to be implemented at the borders and immigration processes.

Over the past few months, ICE has been involved in legal investigations for several reasons:

• Its response to COVID-19.
• Mismanagement of security protocols during the health crisis.
• Lack of truthful information regarding the actual number of people infected with Coronavirus in its facilities.
• Lack of hygiene protocols for detained immigrants.

These investigations began because multiple immigrants gave public testimonies about the hygiene conditions inside detention centers and immigrant rights advocates filed several lawsuits against the border entity.

Immigrant rights advocates repeatedly warned about the fact that detention centers could become hotbeds of the virus.

Currently, the official figure shows that more than 2,500 immigrants detained at ICE facilities tested positive for Coronavirus. This figure grew exponentially in less than two months and will continue to grow if the necessary emergency measures are not taken to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.

In addition to that, hundreds of cases of ICE employees who are also infected with COVID-19 have been reported.

The first Coronavirus cases reported in a family center

On Thursday June 25, 2020, ICE reported the first positive cases of Coronavirus among families detained by the entity.

This happened at one of the Texas detention centers, where 11 detained family members tested positive for the COVID-19.

This is a gigantic threat for both detained immigrants and ICE employees. Also, since this is a family center that houses minors, they are at risk of being infected as well.

Other than that, ICE does not have enough medical personnel to assist infected immigrants in the event of a health emergency.

If you need help with a Family Immigration Case, please click here.

A possible solution

Multiple immigration critics, activists, and experts have recommended for ICE to release detained immigrants who pose no danger to society, at least while the threat to public health diminishes.

In fact, they explain that ICE could perfectly remotely monitor immigrants without the need for them to be detained.

Detained immigrants must wait until they receive a response to their immigration cases and given the fact that immigration processes are delayed, having them detained indefinitely is unnecessary and there are more effective ways to find a solution.

Do you need help with an immigration case?

We can help you! Motion Law Immigration’s expert attorneys are up-to-date with all changes in US immigration policies and can help you find the solution that best suits your needs.

If you have any questions about an immigration issue or relating to a case you may have currently in progress, then please don’t hesitate to contact us for a FREE Phone Consultation with one of our expert immigration attorneys.

Simply call Motion Law today at: (202) 918-1799.