WEBVTT 

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ICE’s Management of COVID-19 in Its Detention Facilities
Provides Lessons Learned for Future Pandemic Responses

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From the Office of Inspector General
COVID-19 related findings September 10, 2021

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Why We Investigated

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Since March 2020, COVID-19 has infected more than 40.7 million people
and caused more than 656,000 deaths in the United States alone.

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We conducted this review to determine whether ICE effectively controlled the spread of COVID-19 within
its detention facilities and adequately safeguarded the health and safety of detainees and its staff.

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What we found

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Overall, ICE took precautions by maintaining supplies of personal
protective equipment (PPE) and performing enhanced cleaning.

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However, we observed instances where staff and
detainees did not wear face masks or socially distance.

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In particular, at Richwood Correctional Center, we observed video of medical
personnel not wearing face masks while interacting with detainees during sick calls.

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We also found some facilities did not consistently manage medical
sick calls or communicate COVID-19 test results to detainees.

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Therefore, detainees did not fully understand their medical condition or options for care. One detainee
stated he and others were “scared and confused” because they had to “guess whether they had” COVID-19.

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Overall, we found testing of detainees and staff insufficient and that ICE headquarters
did not generally provide effective oversight of detention facilities during the pandemic.

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Quote from Joseph V. Cuffari Inspector General for DHS

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“Inconsistent application of safety protocols across ICE detention
facilities continues to expose detainees, staff, and the public to harm.

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ICE must ensure all detention facilities are effectively implementing COVID-19 prevention
and mitigation guidance to ensure the safety of detainees, staff, and the public.”

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What we recommend

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To read all of the findings as well as our
recommendations, visit our website: oig.dhs.gov