On Tuesday, BuzzFeed reported U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement notified Congress it had identified 600 detainees who are at higher risk from the coronavirus and is considering them for possible release.
"The agency has instructed its field offices to further assess and consider for release certain individuals deemed to be at greater risk of exposure, consistent with CDC guidelines, reviewing cases of individuals 60 years old and older, as well as those who are pregnant," according to the agency's notice to Congress.
ICE officials told The News Tribune cases at all its detention facilities are being reviewed.
The Northwest Detention Center on the Tacoma Tideflats contains 1,575 beds and is privately owned and operated by the GEO Group. ICE declined to comment on how many detainees at the Tacoma facility are included in the 600 being considered for release.
More than 160 of those identified as at-risk already have been released from ICE custody, including two in Tacoma, according to Q13.
In a statement, ICE said "due to the unprecedented nature of COVID-19, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is reviewing cases of individuals in detention who may be vulnerable to the virus. Utilizing CDC guidance along with the advice of medical professionals, ICE may place individuals in a number of alternatives to detention options. Decisions to release individuals in ICE custody occur every day on a case-by-case basis."
This statement comes after reports of alleged hunger strikes taking place aimed at raising awareness of COVID-19 concerns inside immigrant detention centers.
The acknowledgment of vulnerable populations inside those centers is something activists such as Maru Mora-Villalpando said demonstrates that fears of a greater outbreak are justified.
Mora-Villalpando, an organizer with La Resistencia, which advocates for immigration detainees, told The News Tribune on Tuesday that social distancing is not possible at the Tacoma center and reaffirmed her call for releasing of detainees to avoid an increase in cases she claims could overwhelm hospitals.
ICE reiterated Tuesday there are no positive cases of COVID-19 in Tacoma but continued to decline requests to provide information about how many tests had been done to verify this.
