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Syracuse University's Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) issued a report last week observing that if ICE were to release detainees that had not been charged with any criminal offenses, they could get a better handle on containing the spread of COVID-19.
In March, according to TRAC, 61 percent of detainees across the country had no conviction, even for minor petty offenses. At the Batavia facility, 48 percent of detainees had no convictions as of July, and only 18 percent had been convicted of what ICE classifies as a serious offense where they are considered to be a threat to public safety.
"These results show that most of the beds in ICE detention on any given day are occupied by civil detainees with no criminal conviction or at most a conviction for a misdemeanor or petty offense," the report read. "ICE possess more flexibility for detainees with little or no criminal history including where they are detained, the amount of staff required for supervision, and the range of options available for release including ICE's alternatives to detention (ATD) programs."
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