DHS medical experts again sound alarm about risky ICE detention, urge access to boosters
This article features Government Accountability Project’s whistleblower clients, Drs. Scott Allen and Josiah “Jody” Rich, and was originally published here.
Two of the physicians who last year urged vaccine access for detained immigrants are back to sounding the alarm, this time as confirmed COVID-19 cases are again skyrocketing within Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities. Just a few weeks ago, officials confirmed 285 cases among detained immigrants. That number is now at more than 2,700.
But as reporting has made clear in those recent weeks, officials have carried out no significant effort to protect immigrants, and earlier this month admitted to boosting just 512 of the 22,000 people in custody. “The failure to act with alacrity has contributed to the number of confirmed COVID cases skyrocketing since the emergence of the Omicron variant,” the two physicians say.
“Booster vaccinations are now the standard and are a top priority of the federal government’s response to present and future COVID threats,” Drs. Scott Allen and Josiah “Jody” Rich of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (DHS CRCL) tell the Biden administration. But they write that DHS’ policies do not include recommendations for boosters. NPR has previously reported that officials have been secretive about initial doses as well.
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