Class Action Accuses ICE of Failing to Implement COVID-19 Safety Measures at Detention Facilities

SAN FRANCISCO — Detainees at two immigration detention centers have filed a class action against California Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, accusing them of failing to implement safety measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in their facilities.

In an April 20 complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the plaintiffs say the conditions at ICE detention centers at the Yuba County (Calif.) Jail (YCJ) and Mesa Verde ICE Processing Facility are unhygienic, crowded, and subject detainees to the risk of severe illness and death.

“The detainees in these facilities live in crowded, …