Lawsuit asks to close the ICE detention center in New Jersey because its "hacimiento" caused 51 COVID infections among immigrants

The owner of the building where ICE's only private immigration detention center in New Jersey operates filed a lawsuit against the facility's operator (CoreCivic), alleging that the company did not follow federal guidelines to stop the spread of the coronavirus, which led 51 people in custody to test positive for the pandemic.

Portview Properties filed the 22-page lawsuit in Union County (NJ) Superior Court on Monday, asking a judge to terminate the lease for breach and order CoreCivic to vacate the building.

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement has an agreement with CoreCivic to keep asylum seekers and other undocumented individuals in the custody of the federal agency at the facility while they wait for their cases to be resolved.

"After repeated attempts to get CoreCivic to vacate the property and terminate the lease, our client exhausted his other options and needed to take legal action," said A. Ross Pearlson, an attorney representing the owning company.

CoreCivic spokesman Ryan Gustin stated that they do not comment on the pending litigation, but that they take their responsibility to care for the people in their custody very seriously, including those in that Detention Center in Elizabeth (NJ).

In the lawsuit, Portview Properties - part of Elberon Development - alleges that CoreCivic did not follow the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and ICE requirements to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, including basic safety needs. , medical care, sanitation and hygiene of all detainees.

In addition, the lawsuit states that the company does not allow people to maintain social distancing and that detainees sleep in dormitories with 40 beds or cots, grouped closely together and sharing a single bathroom, reported NorthJersey.com