Posted on 04/14/2020 2:54:39 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
HOUSTON - Elsy was on the phone in an immigration detention center when guards showed up with face masks and forms to sign.
The asylum-seeker from El Salvador and others had resorted to tearing their T-shirts into face coverings after a woman in their unit tested positive for COVID-19. But the guards would not give out the masks until the detainees signed the forms, which said they could not hold the private prison company running the detention center in San Diego liable if they got the coronavirus, according to Elsy and two other detainees, including one who read the form to The Associated Press over the phone.
When they refused Friday, the guards took away the masks, said Elsy, who spoke on condition that her last name be withheld for fear of retribution.
While U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has started to lower the number of detainees to reduce the risk of people getting sick, those held in immigration jails and their advocates say there’s not enough protective gear, cleaning supplies or space to allow for social distancing. They fear the number of coronavirus cases will sharply rise in the coming weeks as it has in jails and prisons nationwide.
The Otay Mesa Detention Center, where Elsy is held, jumped from one confirmed case last week to 12. There are 72 detainees in 12 states who tested positive and hundreds of others under quarantine.
Detainees in at least four states say they have been denied masks, even as the White House has urged face coverings in public.
Private prison company CoreCivic, which operates Otay Mesa, denied that masks were withheld unless detainees signed waivers. Spokeswoman Amanda Gilchrist said Monday that detainees were given an “acknowledgment form” that a mask alone could not protect them from the virus.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
Kick these bums out of this country! Give them handcuffs and a cheap bus ride out. That’s it. They are despised.
Deport them to their own country, for their safety (yeah, that’s the ticket)
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