Jun 7, 2018

1,600 ICE detainees sent to federal prisons ahead of court hearings

A security contractor hired by ICE prepares to handcuff Honduran detainees. Photo: John Moore/Getty Images

Around 1,600 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees, including asylum seekers, are being transferred to federal prisons, Reuters reports, as they await "civil immigration court hearings."

The big picture: Five federal prisons are taking in detainees — 1,000 of them are being sent to a U.S. penitentiary in Victorville, California. The L.A. Times reported last year that housing a prisoner for one year in California cost the state $75,560.

The background: The Trump administration has been cracking down on illegal immigration, but as Axios' Stef Kight reported, there has still been an increase in immigrants crossing into the U.S. illegally.

What they're saying: Prison employee's union leaders in Washington, Texas, and California told Reuters "they had little time to prepare for the large intake of detainees," adding that the rapid increase of detainees is raising questions of staffing and safety of the prisons.

ICE spokeswoman Dani Bennet told Reuters they are "working to meet the demand for additional immigration detention space, both long and short term."

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Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Global: Total confirmed cases as of 10 p.m. ET: 857,957 — Total deaths: 42,139 — Total recoveries: 178,091.
U.S.: Leads the world in confirmed cases. Total confirmed cases as of 10 p.m. ET: 188,547 — Total deaths: 3,899 — Total recoveries: 7,068.
Business updates: Should you pay your rent or mortgage during the coronavirus pandemic? Find out if you are protected under the CARES Act.
Public health updates: More than 400 long-term care facilities across the U.S. report patients with coronavirus — Older adults and people with underlying health conditions are more at risk, new data shows.
Federal government latest: President Trump said the next two weeks would be "very painful," with projections indicating the virus could kill 100,000–240,000 Americans.
Coronavirus in custody: Inmates in all U.S. federal prisons are set to enter a 14-day quarantine on April 1. A federal judge on Tuesday ordered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to release 10 detained immigrants who are at risk of contracting COVID-19 while in confinement.
U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt: Captain of nuclear aircraft carrier docked in Guam pleaded with the U.S. Navy for more resources after more than 100 members of his crew tested positive.
What should I do? Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing — Q&A: Minimizing your coronavirus risk.
Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it.

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Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins, the CDC, and China's Health Ministry. Note: China numbers are for the mainland only and U.S. numbers include repatriated citizens and confirmed plus presumptive cases from the CDC

The novel coronavirus pandemic is the "greatest test" the world has faced together since the formation of the United Nations just after the Second World War ended in 1945, UN chief António Guterres said Tuesday.

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White House projects 100,000 to 240,000 U.S. coronavirus deaths

President Trump said at a press briefing on Tuesday that the next two weeks in the U.S. will be "very painful" and that he wants "every American to be prepared for the days that lie ahead," before giving way to Deborah Birx to explain the models informing the White House's new guidance on the coronavirus.

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