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Another COVID-19 related death in ICE captivity Photo: Getty Images
Another COVID-19 related death in ICE captivity Photo: Getty Images

The number of COVID-19 immigrant deaths in ICE custody increases

A 50-year-old Honduran man detained at the Joe Corley Processing Center in Conroe, Texas, became the 19th person to die in Immigration and Customs Enforcement…

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The reflection of the mistreatment in ICE custody keeps unveiling itself to the public. If anyone running ICE detention centers has not noticed, the world is still living through a pandemic..

However, for the Joe Corley Processing Center in Conroe, Texas, it doesn’t seem like they care for anyone's safety. At least 50 people have tested positive for the virus at the facility since the beginning of the pandemic back in March, and now a man has died. 

A 50-year-old Honduran man, who had been under the supposed care of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, died at a Texas hospital after testing out positive for COVID-19, according to a source.

The cause of death was defined as respiratory failure because of COVID-19. He is now the 19th person in ICE custody to die during the 2020 fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30. The number of deaths this year is the highest it has been in 14 years, since 2006, when 19 immigrants also died according to records provided by ICE.

Organizations that advocate for immigrants have put their health at the core of the problem with ICE institutions have been addressing the dangers of detainees being exposed to coronavirus. 

The federal agency has tried to offer assurance to officials in Congress, but the reality is that the risk was high before and it has stayed that way throughout.. 

Advocates have continued to decry the abundance of problems within the facilities, especially the lack of space that is necessary to keep social distancing guidelines in place. 

As a result, immigration groups and attorneys have used this argument as a driving force for more releases of detainees. 

In March, ICE officials started assessing their detainees to see which were “vulnerable” to the disease, especially those who were at high risk like the over 60, or pregnant population. Following the analysis, ICE released more than 900 detainees.

But even more horrifying numbers as of Aug. 27, disclosed that more than 800 detained immigrants had tested positive for COVID-19 and more than 5,000 contracted the virus in the detention facilities since the beginning of the pandemic. 

In the fall of 2019, there were more than 55,000 people in ICE custody, but as of Aug. 1 of this year, the number has significantly dropped to an estimated 21,500. 

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