Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Suicide Surge Among ICE Detainees Reveals A Broken System, AP Probe Finds
AP: ICE Detainees Dying By Suicide At 'Alarming' Rate, AP Investigation Finds
Brayan Rayo Garzon was distraught. Detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he was on his fourth day of isolation in a Missouri jail as he battled the fevers and chills of COVID-19. His request for mental health treatment had been put off, records show, and staff had forbidden Rayo from making his nightly call to his mother as a precaution intended to prevent the spread of illness. (Foley, Biesecker and Lee, 5/27)
NBC News: Expired Food, Neglected Medical Care And Hunger Strike Allegations Fuel Protests At N.J. ICE Facility
Days of protests outside a New Jersey immigration detention center, including clashes with federal law enforcement, continued Tuesday as demonstrators and lawmakers allege the facility, where detainees waged a hunger strike, has inedible food and lacks access to medical care. Selenia Destefani, the managing attorney for Nova Law Group, which she said represents dozens of detainees at Delaney Hall in Newark, told NBC News on Tuesday that her clients have been given expired food and meals with worms in them. (Silva, 5/27)
ProPublica: Lawmakers Demand Reforms To Immigration Officers’ Use Of Tear Gas And Pepper Spray
Three U.S. senators have called for an overhaul of federal agents’ use of tear gas and pepper spray, citing a ProPublica investigation that found at least 79 children were left screaming, coughing or hurt by these chemicals during President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Lawmakers said the findings showed more restrictions are needed to avoid injuring bystanders — including children — with chemical munitions. Such weapons were designed to combat rioters and soldiers, and their compounds are toxic, especially to children, who breathe more rapidly than adults relative to their body weight. (Song and Miller, 5/27)
San Francisco Chronicle: ICE Tried To Separate An SF Mom From Her Baby But She Fought Back
Yulisa Alvarado Ambrocio joined fellow asylum-seekers in blocking arrests at San Francisco’s immigration courthouses. They’re on the cusp of a bigger victory. (Hosseini, 5/26)
KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest 'KFF Health News Minute'
Katheryn Houghton reads this week’s news: Some Republican-controlled states require their public health agencies to participate in immigration enforcement. Plus, research finds work requirements for food assistance can drive up unemployment. (Cook, 5/26)
