Brazilian Reports 'Hell' of Catching Covid-19 in US Immigrant Prisons
More than 6,000 have already been infected in these detention centers; deportees 'export' disease
Oct.13.2020 2:19PM
Flávia Mantovani
VIÇOSA (MG)
Tired of working “just to survive” in Brazil, carpenter Paulo Passos, 39, decided to try a better life in the United States last year. He had already lived “in America” from 2004 to 2015 and knew how to enter, even without documents.
Accompanied by a friend, he traveled to the Mexico-Texas border and crossed on December 26. Upon reaching the other side, however, he was caught by the border police. He spent six months in detention in three immigration prisons. During this period, the Covid-19 pandemic broke out.
More than 6,000 have already been infected in these detention centers; deportees 'export' disease - ALFÂNDEGA E PROTEÇÃO DE FRONTEIRAS DOS EUA
In a short time, the health emergency that Paulo followed on TV materialized in the cell where he was, at the Otero County Processing Center, in New Mexico. Of the 32 detained in that room in early May, 23 were diagnosed with coronavirus, including him and another Brazilian.
According to Paulo, preventive care was flawed. With bunks fixed to the floor, it was impossible to social distance. Masks were only distributed days after the first cases.
More:
https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/internacional/en/world/2020/10/brazilian-reports-hell-of-catching-covid-19-in-us-immigrant-prisons.shtml
