A 51-year-old Mexican immigrant died of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) while being held pending his deportation, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced. 

Onoval Perez-Montufa was the third known ICE detainee to die of COVID-19 infection. He was brought to a south Florida hospital and had been hospitalized since July 1.

ICE said Perez-Montufa was transferred after he had troubles breathing at the Glades County Detention Center in Clewiston, Florida. The facility is used to hold immigrants that would be deported.

ICE said the Mexican immigrant has tested positive for COVID-19 on July 2. The immigration agency noted that Perez-Montufa was under "mandatory detention." The law requires this to be done on non-citizens, who were convicted of certain crimes.

Perez-Montufa was taken into ICE custody last month after serving 12 years of a 20-year prison time due to a 2008 cocaine conviction.

He was imprisoned at the Federal Medical Center in Massachusetts. This is for detainees who need specialized medical and psychological care. ICE did not specify any health issues that Perez-Monufa may have had.

The agency said it has already informed Perez-Monufa's family of the death, and the Mexican consular officials, and the Department of Homeland Security.

Other Cases

Aside from Perez-Monufa, there were two other cases of immigrants who died of COVID-19 in ICE custody. They were Carlos Escobar Mejía and Santiago Baten-Oxlag, who also both died of COVID-19 complications in May.

ICE also reported other detainees who have been brought to the hospital during the pandemic. However, the agency did not say how many were hospitalized.

The four largest ICE detention contractors have over 880 of its employees that tested positive, it was revealed before Congress on Monday. These four detention centers were GEO Group, CoreCivic, LaSalle Corrections, and the Management & Training Corporation.

Around 45 direct ICE employees at detention facilities have also tested positive. The agency said it has taken safety measures to protect immigrant detainees, staff, and contractors from COVID-19.

The number of detainees has reduced from 38,000 in the middle of March, to less than 23,000 as of early June. ICE has deported tens of thousands of detainees during the pandemic, which some tested positive of COVID-19 after arriving in their home countries.

ICE Visa Restrictions on International Students

Meanwhile, more than 200 universities are backing a legal action to Trump's administration after ICE announced a new rule, threatening international students of deportation if their own schools choose to do online classes.

The said policy puts students at risk and forces school to open in the fall semester. The legal action was started by Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, when they filed a lawsuit on July 8 to block the directive.

Other universities were also disappointed with ICE's new immigration rules. Yale President Peter Salovey said the possible disruption in the education of international students will weaken the strength of American higher education.

Princeton University President Christopher Eisgruber said the school would also look at a legal take on the new rule. ICE said the ruling aims to increase the students' flexibility to study, while reducing the spread of the disease.

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