Tuberculosis Spawning in Crowded, Dirty ICE Detention Centers
Welcome to our news segment: TL;DR of Immigration News, for when the news is Too Long and you Didn’t Read it.
This is a weekly collection of immigration-related news stories. These bite-size summaries will keep you up to date without overwhelming your inbox.
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ICE is Excluding Data on Transgender People in Detention
In a clear violation of congressional mandate, ICE is excluding transgender population statistics from its public reports.
Further, as of April, 2025, ICE replaced its description of people who self-identify as
LGBTQI and replaced it with: “[those] who may be susceptible to harm in the general population due in part to how others interpret or assume their sexual orientation, or sexual presentation or expression based on outward characteristics, behavior, or appearance.”
Withholding information and scrubbing diversity-related language and content enables ICE to continue to harm people with little accountability, and highlights the administration’s continuing disregard for the safety of transgender immigrants and the rule of law.
ICE is still legally obligated to report out on this data on a biweekly basis. Congress must hold ICE accountable to comply with its obligations for data transparency to the public.
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DC Police Chief Slammed for Submitting to Trump's ICE Raids
The number one rule when dealing with fascist consolidation: Do not comply. Do not submit. Do not cooperate.
The DC Police didn’t get the memo. Or maybe they got the memo but like every police force around the United States their top priority is the protection of private property and state interest, and not the safety and security of the human beings who live within their jurisdiction.
Metro DC Police Chief Pamela Smith issued an executive order directing officers to assist federal law enforcement, including ICE, in sharing information - even about traffic stops. Their cooperation makes life more dangerous for everyone, and puts a further exclamation point on the fascist consolidation taking place in our nation’s capitol.
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DC delivery driver kidnapped by ICE mid delivery; residents question why
Increased ICE presence has come to DC in the wake of Trump’s military takeover of the city. Bystanders are documenting ICE kidnappings on the street, and many have noticed they are targeting food delivery drivers on scooters and mopeds. Last week a WUSA9 reporter happened to be at the scene of ICE arresting a food delivery driver as he was trying to do a delivery.
Several bystanders as well as the reporter were able to film the arrest, and DC residents are trying to be more vigilant and watch out for their neighbors as the enhanced military presence brings immigration enforcement into residential, tourist, and business areas in DC, and more people become frightened to go to their jobs. Like we’ve seen in LA, agents continue to cover their faces, racially profile people, and violate their constitutional rights.
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Tuberculosis Spawning in Crowded, Dirty ICE Detention Centers
As the current administration rushes to restore the worst aspects of the past, the scourge of tuberculosis (TB) is resurgent in the terrible lockups of the private immigration detention facilities. Though both preventable and curable, tuberculosis, which may be familiar as the illness of “consumption” haunting many Victorian novels, is the most deadly infectious disease, killing 1.5 million people worldwide every year.
While TB cases have declined markedly in the United States in the past hundred years, the poor sanitation, crowding, and lack of health protocols flourishing in prisons have fostered its resurgence. As the volley of ICE raids increases the numbers of people in detention (great news for investors of these private, for-profit institutions) tuberculosis cases are on the rise.
“I hesitate to say there aren’t enough resources,” said Dr. Katherine Peeler, medical adviser for Physicians for Human Rights and assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. “ICE just got an appropriation of $45 billion, but if I had to predict, the line item for health care is not the thing that’s going to be increased.”
The recent surge in TB cases in ICE facilities, including one death from the disease at the notorious Eloy Detention facility in Arizona, is eminently avoidable, even by giving detainees more space in which to breathe. The choice not to meet these very basic human needs means that the US government is actively encouraging a deadly TB epidemic.
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Take Action:
We are heartbroken to share that our friend, Xóchitl, was abducted by ICE from the El Paso airport, despite holding DACA status. When Never Again got started in 2019, Xóchitl was organizing with Cosecha, a powerful national movement of immigrant leaders, families, and workers fighting for permanent protection, dignity, and respect for the entire undocumented community. The partnership with Cosecha helped guide our founding.
Now, it's time to stand with Xóchitl as she fights for her freedom.
Support financially: bit.ly/freexoch
Petition for her release: Freecata.com
Uplift the Free Xóchil campaign on social media: Including using this guide to change your profile picture to the Free Xochitl graphic.
Keep an eye out for more instructions from Never Again Action emails and social media on how you can support the Free Xóchitl campaign.
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If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for next week’s roundup, drop us a line at neveragainaction@gmail.com.