WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th April, 2020) US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) confirmed on Monday that 160 employees have contracted the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
CBP data shows that a majority of the COVID-19 cases are found in the states of New York with 59, Texas with 19, and California with 16.
Several cases are seen along key southern border cities like El Paso, Texas; Laredo, Texas; Rio Grande City, Texas; Brownsville, Texas; El Centro, California; and Nogales, Arizona.
In addition, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported that as of Saturday there are 48 ICE employees that have tested positive for COVID-19.
Moreover, ICE confirmed that 13 migrants in the agency's custody have also contracted the COVID-19, twice as many compared to four a week ago. Seven employees and personnel working in ICE detention facilities have also tested positive for the disease.
On Friday, the American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf requesting the suspension of ICE civil immigration enforcement activities and the release of all ICE detainees for the duration of the pandemic.
According to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center, the United States has more than 352,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with more than 10,300 deaths due to the disease as of Monday afternoon.
