Coronavirus cases break out at Fort Worth-area immigrant detention center, ICE reports
Two dozen people at an immigration detention center in Alvarado have tested positive for coronavirus, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
ICE reported 24 detainees have the virus at Prairieland Detention Center south of Dallas, according to list on the department’s website. Across the country, 220 people in ICE custody have tested positive for COVID-19.
Immigrant-rights advocates across the U.S. have been calling on the federal government to shut down detention centers and release those being held there. Similar to prisons, many fear the close quarters and subpar conditions of detention centers increase the chance of coronavirus spreading rapidly.
ICE updated its list of coronavirus cases on Monday evening. Since the list was last updated on Friday, cases nationwide nearly doubled from 124 to 220, according to the New York Times.
The Prairieland Detention Center now has the second highest number of detainees with coronavirus in the country, second only to Buffalo Federal Detention Facility in New York.
On Sunday, protests were held outside various detention facilities, including Prairieland Detention Center. Dozens of protesters lined their cars outside of the detention facility. Several held signs that said, “Free them all.”
As of April 14, ICE had released 693 people considered medically vulnerable and not a security or flight risk from detention centers, the Associated Press reported.
On Monday, a federal judge in California ordered ICE to consider releasing immigrants over 55 years old, those who are pregnant and or suffer from chronic health conditions, CBS News reported.
This story was originally published April 20, 2020 at 10:20 PM.
