The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent vaccine rollout have exposed deep issues of equity, access and justice in California. Perhaps no population has been more marginalized in the rollout than those who are held against their will in immigration detention facilities. Based on data collected from April to August 2020, the coronavirus rate among immigrants in ICE detention centers nationwide is 13 times the rate of the general U.S. population. And yet ICE has refused to dismantle its detention machine even as COVID-19 ravages its facilities. This year the Legislature is continuing that legacy with AB 263, a bill designed to ensure that public health orders are enforced in ICE detention facilities.

Source: Los Angeles Times February 15, 2021 11:03 UTC