Immigration

KPBS Evening Edition

Feinstein, Harris Call For Investigation Into Otay Mesa Detention Center

City News Service

In a letter to the Department of Homeland Security's Office of the Inspector General also signed by Rep. Juan Vargas, the leaders cited reports that detainees were being required to sign documentation in order to receive protective masks.
Border & Immigration

Otay Mesa COVID-19 Outbreak Now The Largest At A US Immigration Detention Center

Max Rivlin-Nadler

There are now 19 detainees with confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the privately-run Otay Mesa Detention Center. Eight staff members have also tested positive.
Border & Immigration

Detained Immigrants Plead For Masks, Protection From Virus

The Associated Press

The coronavirus is spreading in immigration detention, with more than 70 detainees in 12 states testing positive and hundreds of others under quarantine. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has started to lower its detainee population to reduce the risk of people getting sick.
Border & Immigration

10 Detainees Now Positive For COVID-19 At Otay Mesa Detention Center

Max Rivlin-Nadler

During a virtual news conference Thursday, immigrant advocates, health experts, and politicians called on the federal government to release as many detainees as possible from Otay Mesa.
Border & Immigration

Complaint Disputes Border Patrol's Version Of In-Custody Birth

Max Rivlin-Nadler

In February, the Border Patrol announced that it had safely helped an asylum-seeker give birth while in custody. But a new complaint says the woman instead gave birth holding on to the side of a garbage can while still wearing pants.
KPBS Evening Edition

6 Detainees, 5 Employees Test Positive For Coronavirus At Otay Mesa Detention Center

Max Rivlin-Nadler

There are now six confirmed cases of COVID-19 among detainees at the Otay Mesa Detention Center and five among employees. Immigrant advocates now fear a wider coronavirus outbreak in the facility is inevitable.
Border & Immigration

Employee At Detention Center Tests Positive for COVID-19, As Fears Of Outbreak Grow

Max Rivlin-Nadler

Immigrant advocates are alarmed at what they see as the beginning of a larger possible outbreak at a facility they believe has not taken enough precautions to protect its detainees and staff.
KPBS Evening Edition

Immigration Detention Facilities Could Become Coronavirus Hot Spots

Max Rivlin-Nadler

Advocates say the greatest risk of the spread of coronavirus doesn’t come from the detainees themselves, who have been kept isolated from the larger world for weeks and months, but from the guards and other employees at facilities.
Border & Immigration

'Remain-In-Mexico' Paused As Asylum-Seekers Stranded In Crowded Shelters During Pandemic

Max Rivlin-Nadler

The program is postponed until at least late April after advocates argue that prolonging the program leaves an already vulnerable group at risk during a public health emergency.
Border & Immigration

Most Will Still Be Able To Cross Border During ‘Shutdown’

Max Rivlin-Nadler

On Saturday morning, the U.S. border with Mexico was closed to all “non-essential” travel as part of the federal government’s effort to contain the Coronavirus pandemic. But people with valid reasons for crossing the border will still be able to.