Congressional Hispanic Caucus Members Request Meeting with CEO’s of ICE’s Top Private Detention Centers
WASHINGTON — Two dozen members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) led by Chairman Joaquin Castro are requesting a virtual meeting with the chief executive offcers of CoreCivic and GEO Group, the largest operators of private detention facilities.
"We have seen the number of coronavirus cases in ICE detention exponentially increase every week and multiple outbreaks have been reported in detention facilities," the Members wrote. "Since both CoreCivic and GEO Group are ICE's top operators of detention centers, we would like to request a virtual meeting with you and Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) Members at your earliest availability."
The letter was signed by CHC Chairman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), First Vice Chair Ruben Gallego (AZ-07), Second Vice Chair Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44), Whip Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Freshman Representative Veronica Escobar (TX-16), Congressman Juan Vargas (CA-51), Congressman Albio Sires (NJ-8), Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Congressman Darren Soto (FL-09), Congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (FL-26), Congressman Filemon Vela (TX-34), Congresswoman Grace F. Napolitano (CA-32), Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Congressman J. Luis Correa (CA-46), Congressman Jesús "Chuy" García (IL-04), Congressman Jim Costa (CA-16), Congressman Jimmy Gomez (CA-34),
Congresswoman Linda T. Sánchez (CA-38), Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40), Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez (NY-12), Congressman Pete Aguilar (CA-31), Congressman Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-3), Congresswoman Sylvia R. Garcia (TX-29), and Congresswoman Xochitl Torres Small (NM-2).
Full text of the letter follows and can be found here.
Dear Mr. Damon T. Hininger and Mr. George C. Zoley,
As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads across the country, the men and women currently held and working in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers remain at great risk of exposure. It has been nearly three months since the Trump Administration declared a national emergency concerning COVID-19. Since then, we have seen the number of coronavirus cases in ICE detention exponentially increase every week and multiple outbreaks have been reported in detention facilities. Since both CoreCivic and GEO Group are ICE's top operators of detention centers, we would like to request a virtual meeting with you and Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) Members at your earliest availability.
As many public health experts have already pointed out, congregate settings like detention conditions do not allow individuals to observe safe social distancing guidelines, which, especially during a global health pandemic, increase the risk of accelerating transmission of the virus among detainees and facility staff. Further, we are alarmed by reports that individuals held in detention with symptoms of COVID-19 have reported being denied necessary medical care; some have complained of being placed in solitary confinement; other have been ignored outright.
It is critical that we meet with you to discuss how you are operating ICE detention centers amid this pandemic and your efforts to protect those being held and working at detention centers. Given the current public health crisis, your participation as a major government contractor is essential to properly inform legislators.
We hope you will consider our invitation to come speak to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. To schedule this meeting, please contact CHC Executive Director Alma Acosta at alma.acosta@mail.house.gov.
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The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), founded in December 1976, is organized as a Congressional Member organization, governed under the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives. The CHC is dedicated to voicing and advancing, through the legislative process, issues affecting Hispanics in the United States, Puerto Rico and U.S. Territories.