SoCal ACLU Requests Temporary Restraining Order After COVID-19 Outbreak At Adelanto ICE Processing Center
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) -- The ACLU of Southern California is calling on the federal government to help combat an outbreak of COVID-19 at the Adelanto ICE processing center.
So far, out of the 80 people who have been tested, 39 tested positive. An undisclosed number of results are still pending, according to the ACLU of SoCal, quoting documents from the U.S. Department of Justice.
On Wednesday, the civil rights organization filed an emergency request for a temporary restraining order calling for:
-- immediate testing of all people held at the Adelanto center
-- the use of a rapid test that gives results in hours rather than days
-- medical isolation of people confirmed as positive
-- medical isolation of people whose test results are pending
The filing also asks for more disclosure in regards to testing and conditions at the center. The ACLU has already previously asks the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to test every person at the facility and release all medically vulnerable individuals.
"We have argued for months that the government's response to COVID-19 was putting the lives of immigrants held there at great risk,'' said Jessica Bansal, senior staff attorney at the ACLU SoCal. ``We urge all actors -- including the federal government, the state of California, and the federal courts -- to take the steps needed to protect these individuals from this deadly disease.''
Alexx Pons, a spokesperson for ICE, said that detainees who exhibit COVID-19 symptoms are immediately isolated and provided care. Contact tracing is also done to attempt to find the source of infection.
"All detainees continue to be tested for COVID-19 upon intake, and are isolated and monitored for a 14-day period in accordance with CDC guidelines to ensure the safety and health of all those in custody,'' Pons said. "Pending test results, detainees are placed in a medical evaluation status, regardless of a negative test response. After a medical evaluation and negative test, detainees are then integrated into sanitized housing units. At no time during detention is a detainee denied emergent care.''
The Adelanto processing center was at 36% capacity, with 748 detainees, Pons said.
In July, defense attorneys began filing applications on behalf of Adelanto detainees, requesting release. A federal judge has ordered that nearly 60 people be released so far.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)