A U.S. District Court judge has ruled that Bristol County Sheriff Tom Hodgson and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) likely did not properly care for the detainees under their supervision.
Judge William Young ruled that the Bristol County Sheriff and ICE likely have acted unconstitutionally and shown deliberate indifference to the substantial risk of serious harm posed by COVID-19 to the detainees in their care.
As evidence, the court pointed to the Sheriff’s Office failure to conduct comprehensive testing or contact tracing, and its refusal to voluntarily consider the release of any detainees. The preliminary injunction orders COVID-19 testing be made available as soon as possible for all detainees and all staff at the Bristol County House of Correction having any contact with immigrant detainees, at ICE’s expense. The court also orders there be no new persons admitted to immigration detention at the Bristol County House of Correction, effective immediately.
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