Detention operations are postponed to a later date.
U.S. immigration authorities will temporarily stop identifying and detaining illegal immigrants for deportation so that they do not fear seeking medical attention as the new coronavirus spreads. This was reported on Wednesday by The Wasington Post.
According to the data, representatives of the Immigration and Customs Service at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security sent a notice to Congressmen that they are currently “postponing detention operations” of offenders because their “top priority now is to save lives and protect the safety of society.
“During the crisis associated with COVID-19, the agency will not carry out detention operations in and around medical facilities”, – the publication cites. – “There should not be a situation where people try not to seek medical care for fear of being detained by immigration authorities”, – the agency believes.
They specified that detention would only take place “as a last resort” when it comes to removing dangerous criminals from the country.
According to Johns Hopkins University, which counts based on federal and state data, the number of cases in the country has exceeded 7.7 thousand, at least 118 people have died.