Investigations Update: Covid-19 in Immigration Detention, MPD's Kettling of Protesters, and Covid-19 Liability Shields
In this email:
* Covid-19 in Immigration Detention
* D.C. Police Tactics During Summer Racial Justice Protests
* State and Local Officials’ Involvement in Jan. 6 Rally

[link removed]

Here’s a look at the investigations our team has been pursuing through public records requests in the last week:

Covid-19 in Immigration Detention
Over the past year, crowded immigration detention centers have been home to devastating Covid-19 outbreaks ([link removed]) among detainees, outbreaks that were exacerbated by inadequate ([link removed]) medical care, lack ([link removed]) of personal protective equipment, and transfers ([link removed]) across different facilities. Last year, six detainee deaths were preliminarily linked to Covid-19, according to ICE’s own assessments ([link removed]) . News reports suggest that ICE has no clear plan
([link removed]) for administering the vaccine to detainees. We filed requests with the Department of Homeland Security for records regarding detainee deaths and for any related analyses of agency officials’ compliance with health care and security protocols.

D.C. Police Tactics During Summer Racial Justice Protests
Last week, the ACLU released a report ([link removed]) finding that in June 2020, the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) used significant force ([link removed]) in the arrests ([link removed]) of 194 people protesting police brutality on Swann Street, a residential road in northwest Washington, D.C. Some demonstrators said police unlawfully used a crowd-control tactic known as “kettling ([link removed]) ,” in which law enforcement corral a group of people in order to make a mass arrest. Footage ([link removed]) from the incident shows demonstrators fleeing pepper
spray and seeking refuge ([link removed]) in residential homes, raising concerns that police kettled non-violent protesters rather than allowing them to disperse. On Thursday, following the completion of an internal MPD report on the incidents, the office of D.C.’s attorney general announced that it would not be prosecuting ([link removed]) any of the 194 demonstrators. We filed records requests with MPD for copies of the internal report.

Covid-19 Lawsuit Immunity
Conservative state lawmakers across ([link removed]) the ([link removed]) country ([link removed]) have been pushing ([link removed]) bills that shield businesses from Covid-19-related lawsuits brought by customers who contracted the coronavirus. Critics say that these bills also weaken worker protections ([link removed]) by preventing lawsuits against employers who maintain unsafe working conditions that exacerbate the spread of Covid-19. We filed records requests
([link removed]) to the Georgia and Texas departments of agriculture for officials’ communications regarding Covid-19 liability shields, particularly with representatives of the meatpacking industry.

State and Local Officials’ Involvement in Jan. 6 Rally
This week, we expanded our ongoing investigation ([link removed]) into state and local officials from across the country who participated in former President Donald Trump’s Jan. 6 “Stop the Steal” rally that preceded the mob attack on the U.S. Capitol. We sent records requests for any related communications and records of Alaska State Rep. David Eastman ([link removed]) , Illinois State Rep. Chris Miller ([link removed]) , and other officials in Florida ([link removed]) , Indiana
([link removed]) , New Jersey ([link removed]) , New York ([link removed]) , and Ohio ([link removed]) .
To find out more about our work, you can follow us on Twitter at @WeAreOversight ([link removed]) and @ojocorrupcion ([link removed]) , or like us on Facebook ([link removed]) . If you are able, please consider supporting our work with a contribution here ([link removed]) .

Donate to American Oversight ([link removed])
Thank you again for following our latest news. We are grateful for your support and for helping us hold the administration accountable.

============================================================
** Share ([link removed])
** Share ([link removed])
** Tweet ([link removed]: https%3A%2F%2Fmailchi.mp%2Famericanoversight%2Fnews-roundupmiracle-drugs-and-trumps-alternate-reality-19500993)
** Tweet ([link removed]: https%3A%2F%2Fmailchi.mp%2Famericanoversight%2Fnews-roundupmiracle-drugs-and-trumps-alternate-reality-19500993)
American Oversight
1030 15th Street NW
Suite B255
Washington, DC xxxxxx
USA
** unsubscribe ([link removed])