Coronavirus Is Spreading across Borders
Originally published by Migration Policy.org/Natalia Banulescu-Bogdan, Meghan Benton, and Susan Fratzke on 14/03/2020
Summary
Immigration enforcement operations, and widespread detention of asylum seekers and other migrants awaiting immigration hearings, may conflict with other public interest imperatives during this crisis. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), for example, has wisely decided to temporarily suspend most non-urgent enforcement actions (committing not to arrest people at health-care facilities, for example). However, lingering fear and mistrust within unauthorized communities, and contradictory messaging from government authorities, may still keep people from seeking care.