COVID-19 in ICE detention centers, far-right extremism at anti-lockdown rallies, inequality in Mississippi schools, and other news we think you should know about this week.
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In race to avert catastrophe, advocates demand immigrants be freed from notorious Georgia detention centers
<[link removed]>U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has tested just 3% of people in its custody for COVID-19 — and an astonishing 50% of those tests have been positive. In crowded ICE detention centers, where social distancing is impossible, thousands of detained people are at risk of serious illness or death. Today, with our partner Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta, we filed a motion for a preliminary injunction seeking the immediate release of medically susceptible individuals in ICE custody at two Georgia sites: Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin and Irwin County Detention Center in Ocilla. The motion demands the petitioners be freed, emphasizing that ICE cannot or will not comply with CDC guidance and is unable to protect them from the imminent dangers of COVID-19.
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Southern Poverty Law Center demands federal investigation now in the death of Ahmaud Arbery <[link removed]>
On February 23, Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, was shot to death by two white men while he was jogging a few miles away from his home in Glynn County, Georgia. According to media reports, Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son Travis McMichael, 34, chased down Arbery, suspecting that he was a burglar, in a truck carrying multiple firearms. Arbery was unarmed, and reportedly, after a struggle over the McMichaels’ shotgun, he was shot and killed by Travis. More than two months later, no one has been arrested or charged in Arbery’s death, which the McMichaels claim was in self-defense.
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Anti-lockdown rallies are providing an opening for the Proud Boys and other far-right extremists
<[link removed]>Protests against state-imposed stay-at-home orders have exploded across the country and attracted a wide array of right-wing supporters. Even though polls show that only about 10% of voters favor ending social distancing to stimulate the economy, this small movement is being amplified by wealthy, far-right donors and the right-wing media — and extremist groups like the Proud Boys are joining in by attending rallies organized on Facebook and launching protests of their own.
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SPLC lawsuit challenging Mississippi’s failure to provide a uniform public school system moves forward
<[link removed]>Mississippi’s constitution guarantees a “uniform system of free public schools” for all children — but schools in Mississippi are anything but uniform. Deep funding disparities and discrimination strip opportunities from students of color. Not only are the facilities neglected, students often lack textbooks, reading books and basic supplies. Three years ago, we sued the state of Mississippi for failing to meet its obligations, and now the case will proceed after an appeals court reversed a lower court’s decision <[link removed]> to dismiss the suit.
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News You Should Know

2 guards at ICE jail die after contracting coronavirus <[link removed]> (Associated Press)

Reducing prison population would save lives in pandemic <[link removed]> ( Orlando Sentinel )

Amazon and other platforms allowing payments to far-right groups <[link removed]> ( The Guardian )

Florida voting law is biased against Black felons, civil rights groups say <[link removed]> (Bloomberg)

Alabama chicken plants scramble to slow outbreaks of coronavirus <[link removed]> (AL.com)

Trump team moves to scrap protections for LGBTQ patients <[link removed]> (POLITICO)











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