ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals denied the asylum appeal for an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainee who alleged he contracted tuberculosis while in ICE custody, which includes a period of time in the Anchorage Correctional Complex.
“He came for the American dream and will leave with tuberculosis. It’s an unfortunate postscript to his yearslong struggle to stay in the United States. Hopefully all the public reporting on the unnecessary transfer to the state prison and the tuberculosis outbreak will ensure that we don’t subject future immigrants to the same inhumane treatment. We must do better as a country,” said Sean Quirk, the detainee’s attorney.
Quirk said he’s waiting for the court to issue a final order of removal and expects that to come later this month.
“We’re not sure if his ongoing tuberculosis treatment will delay his eventual removal back to Peru,” Quirk said.
Quirk said his client is doing “alright” and is on the RIPPE tuberculosis treatment (rifampin, isoniazid, pyrazinamide, pyridoxine, ethambutol) at the Northwest Ice Processing Center in Tacoma.
In June, ACC held 41 ICE detainees from NWIPC for several weeks to accommodate overflow issues.
Upon transfer back to the Tacoma facility on June 30, Quirk’s client went through a series of screenings and began treatment for tuberculosis which is expected to last for several more months, according to Quirk.
The Washington Health Department confirmed seven suspected cases of tuberculosis at the Tacoma Detention Center that have started treatment.
In response to requests from Alaska’s News Source to confirm the number of suspected cases at the Northwest Ice Processing Center and if any of those cases tested positive after returning from the Anchorage Correctional Complex, an ICE spokesperson said in an emailed statement with the subject line “7 suspected tuberculosis cases at Tacoma Detention center:”
“This false claim needs to stop. A detainee entered the facility, refused a tuberculosis test, and as a result, is required to be medically isolated until medical staff is certain he is not infectious. Six other aliens entered the facility at the same time and were also cohorted as an extra precaution.
An alien has the right to refuse medical care, and ICE has the right to ensure the alien does not potentially spread a disease if they begin showing symptoms.”
Tacoma General Hospital medical records prove at least one case was confirmed at the detention center that came through the Anchorage Correctional Complex.
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