US sees 1st detained immigrant death from coronavirus

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

US sees 1st detained immigrant death from coronavirus

By ELLIOT SPAGAT
May 6, 2020

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A 57-year-old person in immigration custody died Wednesday from complications related to the coronavirus, authorities said, marking the first reported death from the virus among about 30,000 people in immigration custody.

The detainee had been held at the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego and hospitalized since late April, said Craig Sturak, a spokesman for the San Diego County Health & Human Services Agency.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement would neither confirm nor deny the death. CoreCivic Inc., the private company that operates the detention center, didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Otay Mesa has been a hotbed for the spread of COVID-19, with nearly one of five detainees who have tested positive nationwide. As of Wednesday, 132 of ICE’s 705 positive cases were at the San Diego facility. Additionally, 10 of 39 ICE detention employees who have tested positive are at Otay Mesa.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/9cfb6b81ec053196e7a4a3e8e06f7949


FILE - In this June 9, 2017, file photo, a vehicle drives into the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego. Authorities say a 57-year-old person in immigration custody has died from complications related to the coronavirus, marking the first reported death from the virus among about 30,000 people in U.S. immigration custody. (AP Photo/Elliot Spagat, File)