BERGEN COUNTY, N.J. (1010 WINS) -- A 31-year-old immigrant being detained at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in New Jersey has tested positive for coronavirus, an agency official confirmed to Buzzfeed News.
The Mexican detainee has been held at the Bergen County Jail, where ICE officials told congressional staffers that the detainee had since been quarantined and that intakes at the facility were suspended.
Last week, local officials reported that a correctional officer had also tested positive at the same facility.
Immigrant advocates, medical experts, and other officials have called on ICE to release detainees who are most at risk, like the elderly or those with preexisting medical conditions.
ICE officials have said they remain in close touch with medical experts and are constantly monitoring detainees over the potential spread of the virus.
"The individual was sent out for medical evaluation at Hackensack-Meridian Health University Medical Center after displaying symptoms on Monday and declared presumptive positive by their rapid response test later that evening," a statement from the Bergen County Sheriff's Office read. "The test will be sent to the Center for Disease Control for confirmation."
Currently, a "lockdown protocol" has been placed on the jail, which includes limitations on the movements of inmates at the facility.
