COVID-19 Outbreak At Tacoma ICE Facility Worsens

TACOMA, Wash. (AP) – An outbreak of COVID-19 cases that started in June at a facility for detained immigrants in Tacoma, Washington, has gotten worsen.

The Seattle Times reports 150 people have tested positive at the Northwest ICE Processing Center, according to a lawyer monitoring court-ordered government notices of coronavirus cases.

A document submitted to federal court by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Western Washington says the surge came as the federal government transferred nearly 1,100 immigrants to the facility in an attempt to relieve overcrowding at holding facilities at the southern border.

The government says in legal documents its protocols “may not follow the ideal scenario” outlined by the CDC but contends it meets the federal health agency’s recommendations.