As COVID-19 cases begin to permeate the immigration system nationwide, detainees in Texas are calling for better conditions and release. Their pleas became more urgent after at least one employee at a Houston lockup had a confirmed case of coronavirus.
Over the past two weeks, hunger strikes and protests fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in clashes between detainees and staff, as well as the use of force. Meanwhile, immigration legal aid groups including RAICES Texas have campaigned and filed lawsuits in federal court calling for the immediate release of families in detention due to the threat of the virus.
“What happens next will be determined by actions we take now,” Dr. Ranit Mishori, senior medical advisor at Physicians for Human Rights, said on a media call last week. “The window to act is closing rapidly.”
