Apr 7, 2020 - Health

ICE has released more than 160 immigrants due to coronavirus outbreak

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.

Go deeper

Mark Zuckerberg: Social networks should not be "the arbiter of truth"

Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg argued on CNBC's "Squawk Box" Thursday that social media platforms should not police political speech, and that "people should be able to see what politicians say.”

Why it matters: Zuckerberg was responding to Twitter's decision this week to fact-check a pair of President Trump's tweets that claimed that mail-in ballots are "substantially fraudulent." Twitter's label, which directs users to "get the facts" about mail-in voting, does not censor Trump's tweets.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow37 mins ago - Politics & Policy

House Democrats pull FISA reauthorization bill

Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

House Democrats pulled legislation Thursday that would have renewed expired domestic surveillance laws and strengthened transparency and privacy protections amid broad opposition from President Trump, House GOP leadership and progressive Democrats.

Why it matters: The failure to reauthorize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) comes as Trump continues to attack the intelligence community, which he claims abused the law to surveil his 2016 campaign and Trump administration officials.

Go deeper (2 min. read)ArrowUpdated 1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

U.S. GDP drop revised lower to 5% in the first quarter

Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis; Chart: Axios Visuals

The U.S. economy shrunk by an annualized 5% in the first quarter — worse than the initially estimated 4.8% contraction — according to revised figures released by the government on Thursday.

Why it matters: It's the worst quarterly decline since 2008 and shows a huge hit as the economy was just beginning to shut down because of the coronavirus. Economists are bracing for the second quarter's figures to be the worst ever — with some projecting an annualized decline of around 40%.

2 hours ago - Economy & Business