scholarly journals COVID-19 Outbreaks in US Immigrant Detention Centers: The Urgent Need to Adopt CDC Guidelines for Prevention and Evaluation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
John J Openshaw ◽  
Mark A Travassos
Keyword(s):  
Federal Government ◽  
Homeland Security ◽  
Vulnerable Populations ◽  
Department Of Homeland Security ◽  
Detention Centers ◽  
Cdc Guidelines ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Immigration And Customs Enforcement ◽  
Immigrant Detention ◽  
Detention Facilities

Abstract There have been several significant outbreaks of COVID-19 in federal immigrant detention centers, which lack clear and consistent guidelines across Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agencies to limit the spread of COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued detailed guidelines for the control, prevention, and evaluation of COVID-19 in detention facilities. Although the DHS’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has stated that it complies with CDC recommendations, its policies significantly differ from these CDC guidelines, placing detainees at risk for contracting COVID-19. This submission urges the adoption of CDC guidelines across DHS-associated facilities. Such a policy change has the potential to protect and save the lives of the most vulnerable populations under the auspices of the federal government.

Pulmonary Tuberculosis Disease Among Immigrant Detainees: Rapid Disease Detection, High Prevalence of Asymptomatic Disease, and Implications for Tuberculosis Prevention

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole J Boardman ◽  
Tiffany Moore ◽  
Jennifer Freiman ◽  
Geri Tagliaferri ◽  
Dakota McMurray ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chest Radiography ◽  
Disease Incidence ◽  
Diagnostic Testing ◽  
Acid Fast Bacillus ◽  
Rapid Screening ◽  
Symptom Screening ◽  
States Immigration ◽  
Immigration And Customs Enforcement ◽  
Immigrant Detention ◽  
Detention Facilities

Abstract Background Rapid screening for tuberculosis (TB) disease at intake into immigrant detention facilities allows for early detection and treatment. Detention facilities with United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Health Service Corps (IHSC) medical staffing utilize chest radiography and symptom screening as the primary screening for pulmonary TB (PTB) disease. This analysis describes the demographic, clinical, and microbiological characteristics of individuals identified with TB disease at these facilities. Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis to describe the population of immigrant detainees identified via chest radiography with PTB disease between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2016 at facilities with IHSC medical staffing. We collected demographic variables, clinical presentation, diagnostic testing results, and microbiological findings. We generated descriptive statistics and examined univariate and multivariate associations between the variables collected and symptomatic status. Results We identified 327 patients with confirmed PTB disease (incidence rate, 92.8 per 100 000); the majority of patients were asymptomatic (79.2%) at diagnosis. Adjusting for all other variables in the model, the presence of cavitary lesions, acid-fast bacillus smear positivity, and multilobar presentation were significantly associated with symptomatic status. Among all patients identified with TB disease who had a tuberculin skin test (TST) result recorded, 27.2% were both asymptomatic and TST negative, including those with smear-positive disease. Conclusions Asymptomatic PTB disease is a significant clinical entity among immigrant detainees and placement in a congregate setting calls for aggressive screening to prevent transmission. Early identification, isolation, and treatment of TB disease benefit not only the health of the patient, but also the surrounding community.

Federal Government Homeland Security Information Systems

2010 ◽  
pp. 93-111
Author(s):  
Christopher G. Reddick
Keyword(s):  
Data Mining ◽  
Information Technology ◽  
Information Systems ◽  
Federal Government ◽  
Homeland Security ◽  
Security Policy ◽  
Terrorist Attack ◽  
Department Of Homeland Security ◽  
Security Information ◽  
Definition Of

This chapter focuses on Homeland Security Information Systems (HSIS) in the federal government. One definition of HSIS, in the federal government, is the application of information technology to homeland security with the aim of detecting fragmented clues, assembling them as a puzzle, then using the information to stop a terrorist attack (Nunn, 2005). Nunn’s definition focuses on the use of information for data mining for deducing possible terrorist attacks and responses to these incidents. This chapter recognizes the importance of data analysis, but uses a broader definition of federal HSIS being the use of information systems to prepare for and respond to a terrorist attack or significant national emergency. This definition of HSIS covers the importance of data mining to discover how information fits together as pieces of the puzzle, but it also incorporates other elements of information technology (IT) that are used to respond and prepare for a national incident. This chapter will first examine the Department of Homeland Security which has a tremendous influence over homeland security policy and information systems in the United States. There is an examination in this chapter of the environmental context of HSIS in the federal government, demonstrating some of the important pieces of legislation that have an influence in this area. This chapter discusses the roles and responsibilities of federal government Chief Information Officers (CIOs) to discern the scope of their responsibilities. A section of this chapter examines some principles of effective IT management in federal agencies. The final part of this chapter provides the results of a survey of CIOs in federal government departments/agencies to determine the influence of HSIS on their organizations.

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