Immigrants rights activists fear that those currently detained by ICE are at risk of coronavirus.
“They should be freed, they should be at home they should be in a safe place. They’re holding 50 people in a single room, that’s not the safest situation to be, especially when they’re asking people to keep social distance,” said John Lugo, Unidad Latina en Accion.
Immigrants rights activists trying to call attention to those who are detained by ICE in a Bristol, Massachusetts corrections facility. Instead of gathering in front of the federal building like they have done in the past, they did it by car.
“People need to be staying home and staying safe and how are you expecting them if they’re in overcrowded detention centers, if you are trying to deport them. ICE hasn’t stopped flights deporting people, ICE hasn’t stopped doing raids they recently 45,000 n95 masks,” said Olivia Backal-Balik, Wesleyan Student.
Dozens of cars circled the federal building for about an hour, honking their horns with signs taped to their cars.
This comes just days after a lawsuit filed by Lawyers for Civil Rights and Yale Law School’s Worker and Immigrant Rights Advocacy Clinic. This suit seeks to secure the humanitarian release of immigrants because they are at risk of COVID-19 infection, illness, and death.
They want all immigrants who are detained to be released immediately.