Judge Orders ICE To Release Children Held At Family Detention Facilities To Mitigate COVID-19 Risk

On June 26, 2020, federal judge Dolly Gee ruled that due to the severity of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) must release migrant children by July 17, 2020, if they have been held for more than 20 days in a family detention center. ICE operates three family detention centers, with one in Pennsylvania and two in Texas (Dilley and Karnes City). Children in these facilities have tested positive for COVID-19. According to the order, 11 people detained at the Karnes City facility have tested positive, and at Dilley, four staff members have . . .