Immigration officials ordered to reduce number of detainees in Los Angeles ICE facility News
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Immigration officials ordered to reduce number of detainees in Los Angeles ICE facility

A federal judge on Thursday ordered US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to reduce the number of detainees in their Adelanto Processing Center in Los Angeles due to COVID-19 concerns. The injunction requires ICE to lower the number of detainees so that they can keep six feet of distance between detainees at all times.

They are required to complete the process by May 4. The main ways of reducing population will be by releasing detainees with or without conditions, deporting those who have exhausted all appeals and have final deportation orders, and transferring detainees to other facilities where social distancing guidelines of six feet apart can still be kept. The court also maintains the right to hear the cases of any detainees who are moved to other facilities where they cannot be kept six feet apart from others. Those detainees will be allowed to be released if no proper place to hold them is found.

Finally, the court asks ICE to release detainees in order of risk beginning with detainees over 55 that have preexisting health conditions.