Thread by @MigrantFreedom

🧵 #Thread: 6 mo. ago we launched a #COVID19 Hotline to document abuses in ICE prisons. Since then, we’ve received over 10k calls. We just published our latest report analyzing data from the Hotline, attorneys, advocates & media reports.

Here’s what we found 👇 #FreeThemAll

Since our last update, ICE officials announced three deaths in custody. Fernando Sabonger-Garcia; Cipriano Chavez-Alvarez; and Romien Jally.

21 people have lost their lives in ICE custody this fiscal year, the highest in 15 years.

#DetentionKills #FreeThemAll

At least 7 of the 17 people who have died in ICE custody since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in ICE detention via a transfer from state or federal jails or prisons after completing a criminal sentence or being paroled out.

Half of these deaths were people over 50

Advocates are concerned, however, that the true death toll of #COVID19 in ICE prisons is under-counted due to lack of information regarding lack of transparency on testing, transfers, and cohorting practices.

#FreeThemAll

ICE continues to refuse to report how many of its contract staff have tested positive for #COVID19.

Considering over 70% of people in ICE custody are detained in prisons operated by private prison companies, this represents a huge lack of transparency

#FreeThemAll

Speaking of transfers, @JeffMerkley & @MichaelBennet introduced a bill that would:

1. Stop inter-facility transfers during the pandemic
2. Stop jail/prison to ICE transfers during the pandemic
3. Require ICE to comply with CDC guidance
4. Require ICE to release people to comply

Cipriano Chavez-Alvarez, who had lymphoma, diabetes, kidney disease, and hypertension, became the 7th person to die of #COVID19 in ICE custody.

Earlier this summer, he was transferred from federal prison custody to ICE: buzzfeednews.com/article/hameda…

Kao Saelee, a 41-year-old refugee of Laos, fought fires this summer while in CDCR custody.

After his time was served, he was transferred into ICE custody where he faces deportation.

#EndICETransfers
theguardian.com/us-news/2020/s…

Transfers are also a form of retaliation. Last month we filed a civil rights complaint with @splcenter @CamAmerCouncil & others over racism against Black hunger strikers detained at Pine Prairie.

Last week, many of those hunger strikers were transferred: freedomforimmigrants.org/news/2020/8/26…

Transfers are also directly responsible #COVID19 outbreaks.

For example: ICE transferred people in order to deploy agents to anti-racism protests in DC, triggering one of the largest outbreaks of #COVID19 in ICE detention since the onset of the pandemic: washingtonpost.com/coronavirus/ic…

These transfers have also resulted in a number of people disappearing from the ICE Locator System.

Over the last month we documented 26 instances in which the location of people in ICE custody was listed as “Call Field Office” with no other info about their location for WEEKS.

For ex: On July 21, an individual’s location in the ICE Locator changed from being detained at the LaSalle ICE Processing Center in Jena, Louisiana to “Call Field Office.”

On September 17 (59 days later) their status was listed as at the Krome Service Processing Center in Miami.

As of September 28, ICE confirmed 6,145 positive cases of COVID-19 across 100 facilities since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This represents an increase of 1,895 cases and the addition of 15 new facilities since our last update on August
13.

#FreeThemAll

We’ve documented dramatic fluctuations in ICE’s reporting on the number of “active” cases of #COVID19.

For example, on Aug 21, the number of active #COVID19 case at Farmville plummeted overnight from 247 to just 2.

As of Sept 21, ICE reports no active cases there.

In addition to the shocking revelations at the Irwin, we continued to document other instances of medical abuse. We filed a civil rights complaint on behalf of Charly, who had his wheelchair taken away from him by staff, forcing him to crawl on the floor imm-print.com/detained-at-ot…

We filed another civil rights complaint & medical advocacy letter on behalf of a man detained at an ICE prison in Virginia who has stopped receiving his medication for PTSD. As a result, he is experiencing extreme mental distress.

#FreeThemAll

Speaking out about abuse & neglect is a brave act of resistance, largely because ICE thrives in secrecy.

Recently ICE has deported key witnesses to disturbing acts of abuse, negligence and assault: texastribune.org/2020/09/15/ice…

Horror stories of medical abuse & neglect happen every day in ICE prisons across the country.

Just because they don’t make national news every day, does not mean we shouldn’t always pay attention #DontLookAway #AbolishDetention thebaffler.com/latest/horror-…

All of this is just what has been reported to us or in the media.

The #COVID19 pandemic is exacerbating what we already know to be true: ICE cannot keep people safe. Detention can be a death sentence.

We must #FreeThemAll to save lives.