How COVID-19 is ravaging immigration detention centers in Arizona

What's it like to be a migrant or correctional officer in an
immigrant detention facility located in a global hotspot
during a pandemic?   At the Eloy Detention Center in
southern Arizona, correctional officers and immigrants' rights
advocates and lawyers are decrying dangerous conditions they say
have exacerbated the outbreak of COVID-19 at the facility. The
Arizona Republic reported July 9 that 128 staff members
at the center tested positive for COVID-19. The 128 members
make up nearly 41% of the workforce at Eloy. In June, a
correctional officer at the facility died from potential
COVID-19 complications.  The center is run by CoreCivic, a
for-profit private prison company based in Nashville. It is under
contract from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or
ICE.  In this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona
politics podcast, host Ronald J. Hansen speaks with immigration
reporter Daniel Gonzalez. Hansen and Gonzalez break down
the lengthy list of allegations against CoreCivic and ICE, how the
company and agency have responded, and how the 2020 election plays
into immigration decisions made by the federal government that
might affect detention centers like these.  Learn more about
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