FACT BRIEF

Is the Biden administration prioritizing COVID-19 vaccines for people detained by ICE?

Tuesday, February 23, 2021

By Lauralei Singsank

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Immigration and Customs Enforcement said federal allocations of COVID-19 vaccines to the states account for the number of detainees under its supervision, according to a statement provided to CalMatters, a news service. But neither other federal agencies nor ICE is in charge of when those groups might receive a vaccination.

Determinations about when those detainees will actually receive their vaccines are apparently left up to state and county decisions about prioritization of and scheduling for different groups awaiting vaccinations. The Centers for Disease Control hasn’t so far included any specific directives regarding immigration detainees.

From April 2020 to August 2020, the average number of monthly COVID-19 cases was 13.4 times higher in ICE detention centers than in the U.S. population, according to a JAMA research letter.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

CalMatters: Immigration detention centers showcase California’s vaccine chaos

Centers for Disease Control: COVID-19 vaccine rollout recommendations

Stat: ICE must provide COVID vaccines to detained migrants

New England Journal of Medicine: Vaccinating detained migrants against COVID-19

JAMA Network: COVID-19 testing and cases in immigration detention centers

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