By: EFE
The infections of the coronavirus among the undocumented immigrants confined in the detention centers of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) increased 670 % since the beginning of 2022, which caused new calls from organizations to release the detainees.
According to updated data from ICE as of this Friday, 1,902 detained immigrants are currently infected with COVID-19, an increase of 670 % compared to 285 active cases from January 3.
In the last four days the increase was 650 cases as of Monday 1, 253 detainees who were being monitored or isolated due to contagion at 1, 902 who report this Friday.
The detainees dealing with the contagion of COVID represent 8.5% of the 22,145 immigrants that ICE currently has in its network of 200 detention centers, county jails, and private prisons.
The Karnes County Residential Center in Texas currently has the highest number of of people isolated by COVID-21 with 253, followed by the La Palma Correctional Center in Arizona with 175 infected. This last center has been under public scrutiny for its poor sanitary conditions.
Maru Mora Villalpando, director and founder of the community organization La Resistencia, said that ICE continues to endanger immigrants . “We are asking the government of President Joe Biden to free immigrants and close these prisons that are sources of contagion,” he stated.
He reported that a detainee in Tacoma, Washington, told them that cleaning in the detention center in that locality is sporadic.
Since the arrival of the disease in the country, a total of 22,536 cases of COVID-19 at ICE facilities, figure that includes 11 deaths related to the disease.