Thread by @MigrantFreedom

Starting on March 13, visitor volunteers began reporting they have been denied visits to ICE prisons as a response to #COVID19

This is unacceptable #THREAD:

"Immigrants in detention are always vulnerable to abuse and medical neglect; however, during a health pandemic, the likelihood of abuse occurring with no accountability is at an all time high. Community presence at immigrant prisons is essential." -@ChristinaFialho

Read the full statement from @MigrantFreedom:

The network of visitor volunteers across the country are in many ways the eyes & ears of these immigrant prisons. They document abuses & gather stories to tell. Some are providing critical support to men on prolonged hunger strike. Now, they will be blocked.

ICE officers have routinely cut off access to people in their custody, and the reason is simple -- visitation is the strongest form of oversight and transparency we have to protect people inside from abuse and neglect. Cutting off visitation is cutting off the outside world.

Meanwhile, the prison guards who work for ICE or the private prison companies they contract with will continue to go in and out of the immigrant prisons, coming into close contact with people. Overcrowding with zero testing persists alongside a history of medical neglect.

If ICE was really interested in protecting the health & safety of immigrants inside immigrant prisons, it would release them back to their families and communities. We know that being confined in a crowded space -- similar to cruise ships -- is a surefire way to spread the virus.

Calling for release of all immigrants is not radical, it's responsible. Immigration courts are delaying or canceling hearings and travel bans are stalling deportations. This means people are detained indefinitely with no judicial oversight and not even so much as a court date.

Under these circumstances, it is not a matter of if an immigrant in ICE custody will die from infection, but when. Vulnerable populations most at risk of severe illness or death from contracting COVID-19 should be prioritized for immediate release.

@MigrantFreedom calls for safe and responsible access for the visitation groups monitoring immigrant prisons. It's the only way for us to continue investigating and sharing what we are seeing firsthand and what ICE is attempting to keep from the public.

People detained in immigrant prisons can reach us for free through our National Immigration Detention Hotline by dialing the extension 9233. Family members of people in detention can contact us at 209-757-3733.

#FreeThemAll #EndIsolation #EndDetention