30% of immigrants in ICE custody have refused a coronavirus vaccine
15 July 2021
Three in 10 immigrants in U.S. detention centers are saying no to the COVID-19 vaccine, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Vaccine hesitancy among detained immigrants has added an unlikely twist to the challenges of a pandemic-era increase in border migration.
By the numbers: ICE did not provide the exact numbers of immigrants who were offered the shot but declined. But the 30% figure has been shared internally, according to sources familiar.
- There have been nearly 20,000 COVID-19 cases and nine deaths among ICE detainees , according to agency data. There are currently more than 900 confirmed cases.
Between the lines: Public health officials are concerned about groups of Americans — including young people and Republicans — eschewing available shots.
- One ICE official said immigrants have refused the shot for many of the same reasons as Americans who do so, including fear of the unknown.
The big picture: Some Democrats and advocates have been urging the Biden administration to do more to ensure that migrants who cross the border, or other immigrants in government custody, are protected from the virus.
- ICE recently began distributing of an initial allotment of 10,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.More than 9,500 doses have been distributed so far, according to internal data provided to Axios.
- The agency has also been working with state agencies to provide vaccines to immigrants.
What they're saying: "The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues its vaccination efforts to include voluntary vaccinations for individuals in the care and custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)," an ICE spokesperson told Axios.
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.