A Honduran detainee at a detention center. Photo: Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images
As of the end of March, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had identified 600 undocumented immigrants in its custody who are vulnerable to the coronavirus and released more than 160 of them, the agency confirmed to Axios.
Between the lines: Federal judges had forced ICE to release at-risk immigrants. Now, decisions "to release individuals in ICE custody occur every day,” ICE told Axios in a statement.
- The agency is evaluating and considering releasing immigrants who are 60 years or older, pregnant or otherwise at risk of severe illness from the virus.
- The news was first reported by BuzzFeed's Hamed Aleaziz.