California ICE center releases more than 250 detainees amid Covid-19 outbreak after court order

(KYMA, KECY/CNN) - The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has released more than 250 detainees following a court order requiring government officials to reduce the overall detainee population at their processing center in Adelanto, California, where hundreds were infected in a coronavirus outbreak.

The immigration detention facility in Southern California is one of the largest in the country and capable of housing up to 2,000 adults. It has reported 238 coronavirus cases as of Tuesday.

Court order: US District Judge Terry Hatter Jr. ordered the reduction in population at the detention center on Oct. 15 after a class action lawsuit was brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Southern California. In his decision, the judge accused the government of “straight up dishonesty” and said the outbreak posed “an unreasonable risk to each detainee’s safety.”

ICE response: In a news release on Tuesday, ICE announced it would comply with the judge’s order, which it said had resulted in "the release of dangerous criminal aliens into various communities."

“ICE has complied with this overreaching court order; however, the public should know that the ruling undoubtedly places them at greater risk,” said ICE senior official Tony H. Pham in the release.
According to the release, more than 85% of the detainees at the Adelanto facility had pending criminal charges and/or convictions. Among those released, more than 60% had final orders of removal by federal immigration judges.

“These criminal aliens have serious convictions and charges – releasing them is an extremely risky gamble to take with public safety,” Pham added.

"Fear mongering": In a statement to CNN, ACLU senior counsel Ahilan Arulanantham said ICE has "a long history of fear mongering to justify their draconian practices."

"Everyone released either had no criminal convictions or had finished serving their time. None of them deserved to live in a crowded facility rife with Covid due to ICE’s incompetent management,” Arulanantham said.
The current population at the Adelanto facility is now approximately 465, down from approximately 730 detainees before the judge’s order, the news release states.