The Coronavirus pandemic has swept through the world, greatly altering the way in which the lives of people are conducted. Social distancing measures for most places in the United States have lasted for almost two months. Although essential businesses remain in operation, life is very far from normal. Yet, as news surrounding this virus is constantly in circulation, there remain members of society being overlooked. While the concern for those in close quarters within prisons has been discussed, a similar situation in the United States, particularly, exists: immigration detention centers.

The conditions inside these centers have been regarded as undesirable prior to this pandemic. Resultantly, COVID-19 is presenting a new and pressing concern. Living in a confined area with thousands of others, the ability to socially distance oneself is not necessarily feasible for those in these centers. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) writes in an article,

Across the country, tensions are rising inside of ICE facilities, with detained immigrants and their families fearing that cramped conditions and an indifferent bureaucracy are a deadly threat to their safety — and to the wider public’s health. (Mukpo)

The article goes on to discuss how while some detainees at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility in Massachusetts were released, those that remained were given little information in regard to how the center would adjust to this virus. One man stating “‘They don’t care if you die.'” (Mukpo)

Below is an Infographic depicting the impact that COVID-19 is having on these detention centers.

These centers hold the loved ones of many; fathers, mothers, children, and siblings. Reasonably, people have not been reacting kindly in response to this lack of action by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In the following tweet by Senator Kamala Harris she expresses her discontent with the way these people are being cast to the side during this pandemic.

Ultimately, it seems as though the disregard for the lives of imprisoned and detained minorities persists as a reoccurring theme. Citizen or not, these are people who have families and lives which are being kept from them. While some may argue that they do not have the right to be free in this country at all, it should be noted that the very right to exist in a safe and healthy environment is a reality deserved by all.

Sources:

Aspinwall, Cary, and Joseph Neff. “These Prisons Are Doing Mass Testing For COVID-19-And Finding Mass Infections.” The Marshall Project, The Marshall Project, 24 Apr. 2020, http://www.themarshallproject.org/2020/04/24/these-prisons-are-doing-mass-testing-for-covid-19-and-finding-mass-infections.

“Detention Statistics.” Freedom for Immigrants, 2019, http://www.freedomforimmigrants.org/detention-statistics.

Mukpo, Ashoka. “ACLU News & Commentary.” American Civil Liberties Union, 2020, http://www.aclu.org/news/immigrants-rights/they-dont-care-if-you-die-immigrants-in-ice-detention-fear-the-spread-of-covid-19/.