She had heard that other detainees had spent weeks in segregation after speaking up. It was a risk she wasn’t willing to take.When a detainee grabbed her arm and left a bruise a few months later, Katalina didn’t say anything either.Covid has torn through immigration detention centers across the United States.
Since the start of the pandemic, at least 7,202 people held by US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (Ice) have been infected with the virus, and at least eight have died.
LGBTQ+ populations in immigration custody have echoed the stories of other detainees who have complained that Ice has failed to institute adequate protocols to curb the spread of the virus and has not provided ample protective equipment and medical care.