HARRISBURG, Pa. - A federal judge ordered the immediate release of 22 people who were being held in civil detention by U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement at county jails in Pennsylvania while they await final decisions of their immigration cases.
The 22 people held in prisons in York County and Pike County each suffer from chronic medical conditions and face “an imminent risk of death or serious injury if exposed to COVID-19,” Judge John E.
Jones wrote in Tuesday’s decision. FULL COVERAGE: CORONAVIRUS Their release is effective for two weeks. In a separate decision in recent days, Jones also ordered the release of 13 others held in the prisons in which he wrote that, “in times such as these, we must acknowledge that the status quo of