Advocacy Groups Step Up Efforts To Free Health-Compromised Immigrants In Detention Centers

Reuters: Fearing Coronavirus Spread, Lawyers For Immigrant Detainees Urge Their Release
A Cuban asylum seeker with breast cancer who has been detained since November is among dozens of people seeking to be released by U.S. immigration authorities amid fears that the coronavirus could spread quickly in densely populated detention facilities. In her four months in immigration detention, the 39-year-old woman has contracted flu and numerous infections and was recently transferred to a detention facility in rural Louisiana, her attorney wrote in a request to federal immigration authorities for what is known as humanitarian parole. (Cooke and Rosenberg, 4/16)

The Wall Street Journal: Coronavirus Risk For Detained Migrants Targeted In ACLU Lawsuit
The American Civil Liberties Union filed suit against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Monday, arguing nine detainees held at a Washington state detention center should be released due to their vulnerability to the new coronavirus. The suit is part of a broader push by advocates who are pushing for the release of more migrants in detention and a national closure of immigration courts, which they argue could become breeding grounds for the rapidly spreading virus. (Lazo and Caldwell, 3/16)

Boston Globe: At ICE Boston Office, All Scheduled Immigration Check-Ins Happening By Phone 
Immigration authorities in Boston are now conducting all scheduled immigration “check-ins” by phone, as the coronavirus pandemic continues its toll on the region, a spokesman said Monday. The move means that no one who is the subject of enforcement and removal operations is visiting the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Boston office. The change was made “in light of current public health recommendations,” a spokesman said. (McDonald, 3/16)