A group of lawmakers and advocates want California Gov. Gavin Newsom to clear up what they say is conflicting information about the vaccination of hundreds of immigrants detained in the state's immigration facilities.
The group, led by Sen. Maria Elena Durazo, D-Los Angeles, sent a letter to Newsom about the issue on Tuesday. The letter, which more than a dozen other lawmakers signed, lists questions for the governor to answer.
Assemblyman Dr. Joaquin Arambula, D-Fresno, is among those who signed the letter. In a statement to The Bee, Arambula said prioritizing detainees is the right thing to do.
"Making vaccines accessible and a priority in private detention facilities will not only save lives but also protect public health in the vulnerable communities and rural regions where most of these facilities are located," Arambula said.
The governor's office did not comment on the matter Tuesday.
In the letter, lawmakers not only ask for clarity on the governor's plans, they also ask for details.
"What if any communications have taken place between California and the federal government with respect to the vaccination of individuals in ICE custody?" they ask Newsom in their letter. "What plan, timeline or arrangements have been made with respect to the vaccination of immigrants in ICE custody?"
Part of the confusion, they say, stems from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's announcement that the agency would leave it up to states to decide when to vaccinate this population.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, the agency didn't receive any direct allocation of vaccine doses to immunize immigrant detainees for COVID-19.
California "has administered 6.25 million vaccines, none of which include immigrants in detention," Lisa Knox, legal director for the California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice, said Tuesday in an email to The Bee. "The silence of state officials is deafening as we approach one year of this unprecedented pandemic."
In December, more than two dozen organizations urged Newsom to include the state's immigration detention centers in COVID-19 vaccine roll-out plans and discussions.
"It is imperative that our state has a plan in place to vaccinate individuals in congregate settings and detention facilities — where 90 of the 100 largest COVID-19 cluster outbreaks have taken place," the letter reads.
Five of the six immigration detention centers in California are operated as for-profit facilities, which, according to the letter, are not up to standards when it comes to health and safety.
The group tells Newsom that his administration is aware of the risks posed by these facilities, given that he banned them through Assembly Bill 32. For-profit detention centers in the state are supposed to be phased out by Jan. 1, 2028, according to the legislation.
"Unfortunately, until these facilities are ultimately phased out they remain a threat to those detained inside, individuals who work there, and the community at large," the letter reads.
They highlight the need for the state to build trust about the vaccination among those in immigration detention facilities. They say detainees continue to express reservations about getting the vaccine from ICE and the private operators.
Knox said state officials must provide vaccine information in multiple languages because they don't believe ICE is capable of completing such a task.
"And let us be clear: vaccine distribution does not mean more detention," she said.
The group also questions why ICE has already vaccinated those detained at one of the state's immigration centers.
"We have also heard from advocates that detainees inside the Otay Mesa detention facility, (have) been vaccinated by ICE," the letter reads. "It is not clear why this population has been provided access to the vaccine while detainees in other facilities have not."
They ask the governor to clarify that situation and list several other questions for the governor to answer related to the vaccination of the several hundred other detainees.
Jonathan C. Moor, a spokesman for ICE, said the agency is committed to the health and welfare of those in its custody but said ICE doesn't administer coronavirus vaccinations.
"COVID-19 vaccines for ICE detainees are being allocated by local and state health departments, and were incorporated into the total COVID-19 vaccine amount distributed by the federal government to each state," he said in a statement to The Bee. "At this time, a limited number of ICE detainees have begun to receive the COVID-19 vaccine based on availability and priorities for vaccinating individuals in the state where they are currently detained."
When the immigration detention centers receive the vaccines, they may be administered by ICE health service corps, contract facility medical staff or through other processes as identified by state or local vaccination plans, Moor said.
.png?w=600)
