Calling it ‘a stain on our country,’ a professor at Harvard’s T. H. Chan School of Public Health says ICE is failing to stop the spread of COVID in detention centers. Detainees at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers are infected with COVID at a much higher rate than the rest of the country. A new report published in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) found that the COVID infection rate among detainees was on average more than 13 times the rate of the U.S. population – even more than the rate in U.S. federal and state prisons, which were 5.5 times higher than in the general population.
The study’s authors say the numbers may be even worse, given ICE’s lack of transparency and unwillingness to cooperate.
If someone is detained by ICE an immigration attorney can determine if they are eligible for an immigration bond. An immigration attorney can represent them throughout the deportation process or removal proceedings. As the COVID pandemic continues throughout the United States, the very real fear of contracting the virus while in an ICE detention center can be used as part of someone’s argument to be released on bond while waiting for their immigration hearing.
Non-citizens who are faced with removal proceedings may have several deportation defense options for their deportation defense lawyer to fight their deportation case. Non-citizens who will be deported may be able to show that the U.S. government was wrong to place them into removal proceedings. In immigration court, the presiding judge may ask the non-citizen to address the Notice to Appear by admitting or denying factual accusations and conceding or contesting any charges of removability.
A skilled deportation defense lawyer can help non-citizens facing the threat of deportation and find ways to help them legally remain in the United States. Godoy Law Office serves the entire Chicago, Illinois area including DuPage, Cook, Kane, Will, and Lake Counties. To get started on your defense, call 855-554-6369 to schedule a consultation with one of the experienced immigration attorneys today.
