This week in immigration news — April 23, 2020
A federal judge orders ICE to consider the release of detainees at high risk for coronavirus
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has 220 cases of coronavirus among the people that they have in custody at their detention facilities. Among their employees, 30 have tested positive for COVID-19.
The federal injunction has ordered ICE to institute more protections against infection and to consider the release of high-risk detainees. ICE has previously been criticized by immigrant advocates for not adhering to physical distancing guidelines that were released by the CDC.
Trump says he will pause green card applications to the United States for the next 60 days
Trump on Monday claimed that he would be halting all immigration to the United States to contain the spread of the coronavirus. He has since modified that claim to only pertain to green card applicants.
More Americans are blocked from receiving economic impact payments
The $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief package will now not reach more Americans, the IRS has said. Now, American citizens who are married to someone who doesn’t have a Social Security number will be deemed ineligible. Nearly 1.2 million Americans fall into this category.
Women who asked for soap were pepper-sprayed by ICE
Women from the LaSalle facility—a detention facility owned by the GEO Group—are speaking out after they were pepper-sprayed after asking for more soap. ICE has been criticized for their response to the spread of the coronavirus.
Eight ICE officials in Florida test positive for the coronavirus
All eight of the ICE officials who tested positive for COVID-19 work at the same detention facility. This has spurred more calls for people being held at the facility to be released for their own safety.
