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Dominik Cruz appears to get new UFC 250 opponent after Jose Aldo’s reported visa issue

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Dominik Cruz’s fight against Jose Aldo at UFC 250 reportedly has an obstacle.

Aldo had trouble renewing his work visa in the U.S., Globo reported Monday. He reportedly tried to get it renewed at the U.S. Embassy in Brazil but the document isn’t being renewed right away because of the ongoing coronavirus epidemic.

UFC FIGHTER ANTHONY SMITH DESCRIBES ENCOUNTER WITH INTRUDER: ‘MY ENTIRE COMPUTER ROOM IS COVERED IN BLOOD’

Cruz appeared to confirm his new opponent in a tweet. He called out Henry Cejudo, the UFC’s current bantamweight champion.

“Dear @HenryCejudo, The real king has already been told that we’re fighting May 9th. I’ll see you there.P.S. -Bring your other tiny lil friend @cptdasamericas so I can slap you both around,” Cruz wrote.

DANA WHITE: UFC 249 TO TAKE PLACE AT SECRET LOCATION, TRYING TO SECURE PRIVATE ISLAND FOR FUTURE FIGHTS

Cruz has not fought in the UFC since UFC 207 in 2016 where he lost via decision to Cody Garbrandt. He was set to fight Jon Lineker in 2019 at UFC 233 but he missed out due to an injury.

Dana White hasn’t officially announced Cruz would be fighting Cejudo.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

UFC 250 is still set to take place on May 9. Where it would take place is still unclear. White previously said he was trying to secure a private island to host events after UFC 249. Where the island is located is unclear.

Dominik Cruz appears to get new UFC 250 opponent after Jose Aldo’s reported visa issue

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Dominik Cruz’s fight against Jose Aldo at UFC 250 reportedly has an obstacle.

Aldo had trouble renewing his work visa in the U.S., Globo reported Monday. He reportedly tried to get it renewed at the U.S. Embassy in Brazil but the document isn’t being renewed right away because of the ongoing coronavirus epidemic.

UFC FIGHTER ANTHONY SMITH DESCRIBES ENCOUNTER WITH INTRUDER: ‘MY ENTIRE COMPUTER ROOM IS COVERED IN BLOOD’

Cruz appeared to confirm his new opponent in a tweet. He called out Henry Cejudo, the UFC’s current bantamweight champion.

“Dear @HenryCejudo, The real king has already been told that we’re fighting May 9th. I’ll see you there.P.S. -Bring your other tiny lil friend @cptdasamericas so I can slap you both around,” Cruz wrote.

DANA WHITE: UFC 249 TO TAKE PLACE AT SECRET LOCATION, TRYING TO SECURE PRIVATE ISLAND FOR FUTURE FIGHTS

Cruz has not fought in the UFC since UFC 207 in 2016 where he lost via decision to Cody Garbrandt. He was set to fight Jon Lineker in 2019 at UFC 233 but he missed out due to an injury.

Dana White hasn’t officially announced Cruz would be fighting Cejudo.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

UFC 250 is still set to take place on May 9. Where it would take place is still unclear. White previously said he was trying to secure a private island to host events after UFC 249. Where the island is located is unclear.

Trump administration suspends additional seasonal worker visas due to economic downturn

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The Trump administration said Thursday that it is suspending the issuing of further H-2B seasonal guest worker visas due to the economic downturned sparked by the coronavirus crisis.

“To clear up various misreporting — DHS’s [Department of Homeland Security’s] rule on the H-2B cap is on hold pending review due to present economic circumstances,” the agency said on Twitter. “No additional H-2B visas will be released until further notice.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE

The number of H-2B visas, which give temporary legal status to non-agricultural seasonal workers in areas such as landscaping and service-industry jobs in restaurants and hotels, is capped at 66,000 a year by Congress. But Congress has given DHS and the Labor Department the authority to raise that cap by 64,000 visas a year.

DHS announced at the beginning of last month that it would raise the cap by 35,000 — significantly lower than the full cap, but higher than the 30,000 the administration raised it by in 2018. The increase would be accompanied by reforms to the system to root out abuse and fraud.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION EXTENDS IMMIGRATION OFFICE CLOSURES AMID CORONAVIRUS CRISIS 

Immigration hawks have long opposed increases in H-2B visas, while business groups have said they are essential in a tight labor market. On the Hill, raising the cap has seen both bipartisan support and opposition. Groups of Republicans and Democrats have written to the administration on both sides of the issue.

The extra visas were to be made available in two batches: 20,000 starting April 1, and a second batch starting May 15. But amid dire economic news, DHS has suspended the cap increase.

“This is a step in the right direction and should be applauded,” said RJ Hauman, government relations director at the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), which advocates for lower levels of immigration overall. “However, 10 million have lost their jobs in the past few weeks and it will get worse. American workers need more — a complete moratorium on guest worker admissions. President Trump has the authority and should use it.”

It was announced Thursday that the number of Americans filing claims for unemployment benefits surged to more than 6.6 million last week, breaking a record high for the second week in a row as more states and cities enforced strict stay-at-home measures in an attempt to stop the coronavirus pandemic.

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The administration announced Wednesday that it was extending the closure of immigration offices across the country until May. It has also restricted nonessential travel across land borders with Mexico and Canada.

Last week the State Department announced it would waive the interview requirement for most agricultural guest worker visas, amid pressure from Democrats and agricultural groups to prioritize the visas to strengthen the food supply chain.

Tucker demands halt to ‘demented’ policy letting foreign workers take US jobs amid unemployment crisis

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As the coronavirus contagion ravages the U.S. economy and social distancing requirements force the closure of businesses and put millions out of work, the federal government is actively inviting foreign labor into the country to seek jobs, Tucker Carlson said Wednesday on “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”

According to Carlson, the Department of Homeland Security released 20,000 H-2B visas Wednesday for seasonal workers to take landscaping, food processing and tourism jobs — while another 15,000 “bonus visas” are scheduled to be released in May.

THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK STATE-BY-STATE

“By law, the United States only has to offer 66,000 H-2B visas per year,” the host said. “But [acting] Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf has used his discretionary powers to add 35,000 extra visas.

“So that’s a total of 100,000 workers coming to this country to take jobs during the single biggest unemployment crisis in a century,” Carlson said. “It’s demented.”

Carlson noted that the St. Louis Fed recently estimated the unemployment rate could reach 32 percent and put more people out of work than in the worst year of the Great Depression.

“At some point coronavirus will be gone, but we could live with the crushing unemployment numbers for far longer and that’s a disaster for people, individuals and families — but it’s also a threat to the stability of our country,” Carlson said.

“Nothing makes a nation more volatile than the huge numbers of people who don’t have jobs,” he said, adding that without intervention, America could become a “has-been superpower beholden on China.”

Carlson urged Trump to take immediate executive action to stop the release of the visas.

“If President Obama was able to ignore existing immigration law to create DACA, and he did, it’s possible for our president to cut legal immigration to protect the nation,” he continued, citing Section 1182(f) of Title VIII in the United States Code:

CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE

“Whenever the president finds that the entry of any aliens or any class of aliens in the United States would be detrimental to the interest in the United States he may make a proclamation and for such period as he shall deem necessary to suspend the entry of all aliens or class of aliens as immigrants were nonimmigrants or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem appropriate.”

Carlson added that the U.S. Supreme Court confirmed the validity of that section of law when it upheld Trump’s “travel ban.”

Trump administration extends immigration office closures amid coronavirus crisis

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The Trump administration announced Wednesday that it is extending the closure of immigration offices across the country until May, amid precautions over the coronavirus.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that the closing of its in-person services at field offices, asylum offices and application support centers would be extended until May 3. The agency, which acts as the core agency dealing with most forms of legal immigration and asylum cases in the U.S., said it would continue to provide emergency services and “mission-essential services” that don’t require face-to-face contact.

UNACCOMPANIED MINORS AT BORDER TO BE RETURNED TO HOME COUNTRIES AS PART OF CORONAVIRUS STRATEGY 

The agency said that field offices will send notices to those with appointments or naturalization ceremonies, while asylum applications will receive a new interview notice with a new appointment time.

Meanwhile, the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) announced that Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) hearings in April would also be suspended. It had previously postponed hearings until April 22, but on Wednesday extended that until May 1.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SENDING TROOPS TO BORDER AS PART OF CORONAVIRUS FIGHT

The “Remain in Mexico” policy has formed the centerpiece of the administration’s efforts to combat the crisis at the southern border. It involves sending migrants back to Mexico to await their immigration hearings rather than holding them in the U.S. or releasing them into the interior. The EOIR said last month that while hearings were being postponed, the program itself was not being halted.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE

In its response to the coronavirus pandemic, the Trump administration has taken a host of measures to tighten immigration procedures — particularly related to public health — as well as border security measures.

The U.S. imposed travel restrictions on China, Iran and the European Union. Last month it restricted non-essential travel at land borders with Canada and Mexico.

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It is also turning away all illegal immigrants and asylum seekers at both the northern and southern borders, returning them to their home countries. This week Customs and Border Protection (CBP) confirmed the policy would include unaccompanied minors.

Tom Homan: Coronavirus shouldn’t force ICE to release detained illegal immigrants

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Some longtime critics of the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency and advocates of open borders are calling for the release of illegal immigrants from federal custody due to the coronavirus pandemic, claiming this is necessary to prevent the spread of the virus among detainees.

Such a mass release would be a serious mistake and do far more harm than good. Among other things, it would endanger public safety by releasing detainees with violent criminal records into our communities. And it could also increase the health risks to detainees who are released.

We all realize the coronavirus pandemic is a national emergency that is causing the federal, state and local governments to take dramatic actions, such as closing many businesses and warning us to stay home as much as possible and practice social distancing.

NEW JERSEY JAILS MUST RELEASE AT LEAST 10 ‘AT RISK’ ICE DETAINEES OVER CORONAVIRUS CONCERNS: JUDGE

But we can’t afford to let the fear of the coronavirus spreading end the rule of law in our country. If people can break the law without fearing any consequences we will see more people commit crimes – and that will pose a grave danger to us all.

Most people don’t know it, but nearly 90 percent of the illegal immigrants arrested by ICE agents are either convicted criminals or face pending criminal charges beyond charges of illegally entering the U.S. It would be the height irresponsibility release these people into our country.

America’s immigration laws have been enacted and changed by Congress and presidents going back to 1882. ICE and other law enforcement agencies didn’t come up with these laws and don’t have the power to change them.

It’s wrong to use the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse to attack the law enforcement officers who are carrying out their sworn duty to enforce these immigration laws.

More from Opinion

Illegal immigrants can be released from ICE detention under court orders; on a case-by-case basis due to significant humanitarian concerns; or if they win their cases. They can be removed from the U.S. if their asylum requests are turned down. But there is no legal mechanism to simply throw open the doors to detention centers and let everyone go wherever they please.

President Trump has taken important action by largely closing U.S. borders to many non-Americans entering our country in an effort to combat the spread of the coronavirus. But he has wisely not ordered the release of all illegal immigrants in custody who are awaiting court hearings or removals.

Most people don’t know it, but nearly 90 percent of the illegal immigrants arrested by ICE agents are either convicted criminals or face pending criminal charges beyond charges of illegally entering the U.S.

As the president well knows, if we do not have the ability to detain those who illegally enter our nation until they see a judge and plead their cases, or remove those who have been ordered removed by a federal judge, we will never solve the immigration crisis on the border.

Critics of ICE have made wild and false claims about how the agency’s detention facilities operate, in an effort to convince the American people that no illegal immigrant should be detained.

In a particularly disgusting lie, some critics have compared ICE facilities to notorious Nazi concentration camps where millions of people were tortured and murdered. They claimed women were being forced to drink from toilets and told other lies to make it sound like ICE facilities are hellholes where no human being should be held.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

ICE contracts most of its detention to companies that operate detention facilities not only for the federal government but also for state and local governments. These companies are used widely because they do the job better and cheaper than the government can.

Using outside contractors that run facilities like this as their core business function not only saves millions of dollars in taxpayer funds, but increases the quality of care for those being detained. This is evident by the extremely low death rate of detainees.

The quality of care afforded those in ICE contract detention is better than you would find in any federal or state institution. In fact, these facilities are the finest in the world.

When I was ICE director, many sheriffs across the country refused to contract with ICE to hold our detainees because our detention standards were too high. Numerous sheriffs told me they would not meet such high standards for illegal immigrants in their jails when they don’t do so for U.S. citizens.

ICE and its contractors are fully committed to the highest level of quality and provide safe, secure and humane conditions for those in their custody. These facilities operate pursuant to strict government standards, national accreditation standards, medical accreditation agencies and the ICE Detention Standards.

The ICE facilities are managed to the standards set by third-party accreditation agencies, including but not limited to the American Correctional Association, the National Commission on Correctional Healthcare, the Commission on Jail Standards and the Joint Commission on Healthcare.

In keeping with its commitment to improving the immigration detention system, ICE revised its detention standards in 2011. The Performance-Based National Detention Standards 2011 (PBNDS 2011) clearly show ICE’s ongoing effort to maintain and improve upon a safe detention environment.

The standards were also drafted with the input and perspectives of nongovernmental organizations and in large part to improve medical services.

It’s important to note that ICE has one of the lowest rates of deaths in custody of any program within the state and federal detention system. The Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics tracks the death rate of incarcerated individuals across the nation.

A review of those reports will show that the average mortality rate in state prisons was 256 deaths per 100,000 people. The mortality rate in federal prisons during the same period was 225 deaths per 100,000. Since more than 400,000 people go through the ICE system every year and ICE averages nine total deaths per year the rate of death in ICE custody is less than three per 100,000 – just 2.25.

ICE’s private contract facility providers acted quickly to address the threat of the coronavirus pandemic. These service providers specialize in the management of secure facilities and have unparalleled experience with the implementation of best practices for the prevention, assessment, and management of infectious diseases. They have been dealing with diseases coming across the border for years.

These facilities give all detainees access to clean water and soap, unlike what has been reported. The facilities are not overcrowded. One only has to do the math. ICE was holding nearly 55,000 detainees a few months ago but now is holding about 37,000.

All these detention facilities provide round-the-clock access to health care. In fact, nearly all of these large contract facilities have twice the number of health care staff compared to other federal, state and local detention facilities. ICE contract facilities also have negative pressure rooms in their medical wings known as airborne infection isolation rooms.

Guidance was again recently issued that is in line with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization. Best practices have been put into place for the prevention, assessment, and management of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus.

Employees and detainees have been given guidance on preventative measures to avoid the spread of the coronavirus. Detention facilities have put into place additional measures during the intake process to include screening specific to the virus.

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Specialized sanitation teams were put into place to sterilize high-contact areas of ICE facilities. They continue to work to limit nonessential visitation, just as most hospitals and nursing homes have done. They have also developed emergency plans for managing the coronavirus.

No location is immune from the coronavirus, no matter how many precautions are taken. It is possible to be infected on the job, at a supermarket, at home from a family member, at a detention facility and elsewhere.

But the truth is that many detainees will be far less likely to be infected and become critically ill at ICE facilities where the population is controlled and there is ready access to doctors and medical care than they would be if they were released.

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ICE carefully reviews all those in detention to ascertain who has existing medical conditions that put them at great risk along with age. The agency makes a case-by-case determination to determine if continued detention is necessary or endangers the detainee. That has always been the standard practice and ICE is doing that right now in the face of this pandemic.

No mass release is needed or practical, and in fact, such a mass release would be dangerous both to our communities and to the detainees themselves.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FROM TOM HOMAN

State Department to waive interviews for foreign farmworker visas in response to coronavirus

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The State Department announced Friday that it is waiving the interview requirement for most agricultural guest worker visas in response to the coronavirus crisis — a move that brought criticism from immigration hawks.

“Secretary Pompeo, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, has authorized consular officers to expand the categories of H-2 visa applicants whose applications can be adjusted without an in-person interview,” the agency said in a statement.

DOJ POSTPONES ‘REMAIN IN MEXICO’ HEARINGS IN RESPONSE TO CORONAVIRUS THREAT

The H-2 program allows temporary guest workers in the agricultural industry (H-2A) and in seasonal, non-agricultural work (H-2B) to come to the U.S. But there has been a particular focus on the H-2A program recently due to questions about the food supply in a time of the coronavirus crisis.

Officials can now waive the visa interview requirement, one of the most daunting aspects of any visa application for a potential immigrant, for H-2 applicants if they do not have any apparent or potential ineligibility. The new guidelines also increase the period in which returning workers can qualify for a waiver.

The agency had suspended visa services at embassies and consulates last week, but this week called the H-2 program “essential to the economy and food security of the United States and…a national security priority,” said it would be processing H-2 cases “as much as possible.”

Supporters say such visas are vital for the U.S. economy in times of surges in need, but opponents say they are rife with abuse and incentivize companies to use cheap labor instead of updating their technology or raising wages to attract American workers.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., had written to Pompeo this week, urging him to take action on H-2A visas.

CORONAVIRUS BILL INCLUDES $350 MILLION FOR MIGRATION, REFUGEE ASSISTANCE

“The ability to harvest food is critical to our nation’s food security, particularly during a national emergency,” Feinstein said in a letter. “I ask that you consider the food security needs of our nation and take every precaution necessary to protect public health during the coronavirus pandemic. Interrupting the issuance of H-2A agricultural visas – particularly for returning workers who have no inadmissibility concern – harms our national interests and may cause an interruption to our food supply in the midst of a global pandemic.”

A coalition of agricultural groups had also urged Pompeo to prioritize the visas, arguing that action was needed in order to keep the food supply chain intact.

“The failure to take necessary action to protect our food supply will result in bare shelves in grocery store produce aisles, not from panic buying, but as the result of the federal government directly causing a shortage of critical labor,” a letter from the Agriculture Workforce Coalition said.

As a result of the interview waiver, the State Department said it anticipates that “the vast majority of otherwise qualified H-2 applicants will now be adjudicated without an interview.”

Groups who push for lower levels of migration overall oppose the move, pointing in particular to the spike in unemployment that the crisis has caused — which they say makes more immigration unnecessary when millions of Americans are looking for work.

“This crisis has shown that we must move away from reliance on foreign workers in the agriculture industry and move into the 21st century. The Trump administration could have used the coronavirus bill to address food security issues through mechanization grants and no interest loans,” RJ Hauman, head of government relations at Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), told Fox News.

“Instead, they bought into the agriculture lobby’s pathetic, despicable plea – that a country of over 320 million people on the cusp of record unemployment can’t get its own food harvested without cheap foreign labor,” he said.

The easing up of H-2 visas is in contrast to a number of other moves by the administration that restricted migration and travel into the U.S.

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The administration has largely banned travel from China, Iran and Europe into the U.S. in response to the crisis. It has also restricted travel across land borders with Canada and Mexico to essential travel only.

This week the Justice Department announced it was suspending hearings for migrants enrolled in the Migrant Protection Protocols at the southern border.

State Department to waive interviews for foreign farmworker visas in response to coronavirus

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The State Department announced Friday that it is waiving the interview requirement for most agricultural guest worker visas in response to the coronavirus crisis — a move that brought criticism from immigration hawks.

“Secretary Pompeo, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, has authorized consular officers to expand the categories of H-2 visa applicants whose applications can be adjusted without an in-person interview,” the agency said in a statement.

DOJ POSTPONES ‘REMAIN IN MEXICO’ HEARINGS IN RESPONSE TO CORONAVIRUS THREAT

The H-2 program allows temporary guest workers in the agricultural industry (H-2A) and in seasonal, non-agricultural work (H-2B) to come to the U.S. But there has been a particular focus on the H-2A program recently due to questions about the food supply in a time of the coronavirus crisis.

Officials can now waive the visa interview requirement, one of the most daunting aspects of any visa application for a potential immigrant, for H-2 applicants if they do not have any apparent or potential ineligibility. The new guidelines also increase the period in which returning workers can qualify for a waiver.

The agency had suspended visa services at embassies and consulates last week, but this week called the H-2 program “essential to the economy and food security of the United States and…a national security priority,” said it would be processing H-2 cases “as much as possible.”

Supporters say such visas are vital for the U.S. economy in times of surges in need, but opponents say they are rife with abuse and incentivize companies to use cheap labor instead of updating their technology or raising wages to attract American workers.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., had written to Pompeo this week, urging him to take action on H-2A visas.

CORONAVIRUS BILL INCLUDES $350 MILLION FOR MIGRATION, REFUGEE ASSISTANCE

“The ability to harvest food is critical to our nation’s food security, particularly during a national emergency,” Feinstein said in a letter. “I ask that you consider the food security needs of our nation and take every precaution necessary to protect public health during the coronavirus pandemic. Interrupting the issuance of H-2A agricultural visas – particularly for returning workers who have no inadmissibility concern – harms our national interests and may cause an interruption to our food supply in the midst of a global pandemic.”

A coalition of agricultural groups had also urged Pompeo to prioritize the visas, arguing that action was needed in order to keep the food supply chain intact.

“The failure to take necessary action to protect our food supply will result in bare shelves in grocery store produce aisles, not from panic buying, but as the result of the federal government directly causing a shortage of critical labor,” a letter from the Agriculture Workforce Coalition said.

As a result of the interview waiver, the State Department said it anticipates that “the vast majority of otherwise qualified H-2 applicants will now be adjudicated without an interview.”

Groups who push for lower levels of migration overall oppose the move, pointing in particular to the spike in unemployment that the crisis has caused — which they say makes more immigration unnecessary when millions of Americans are looking for work.

“This crisis has shown that we must move away from reliance on foreign workers in the agriculture industry and move into the 21st century. The Trump administration could have used the coronavirus bill to address food security issues through mechanization grants and no interest loans,” RJ Hauman, head of government relations at Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), told Fox News.

“Instead, they bought into the agriculture lobby’s pathetic, despicable plea – that a country of over 320 million people on the cusp of record unemployment can’t get its own food harvested without cheap foreign labor,” he said.

The easing up of H-2 visas is in contrast to a number of other moves by the administration that restricted migration and travel into the U.S.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The administration has largely banned travel from China, Iran and Europe into the U.S. in response to the crisis. It has also restricted travel across land borders with Canada and Mexico to essential travel only.

This week the Justice Department announced it was suspending hearings for migrants enrolled in the Migrant Protection Protocols at the southern border.

New Jersey jails must release at least 10 ‘at risk’ ICE detainees over coronavirus concerns: judge

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At least 10 migrants deemed “at risk” were ordered freed from jails in three New Jersey counties Thursday night over coronavirus concerns.

The jails – in Hudson, Bergen and Essex counties – had each reported cases of coronavirus, either among detainees, staff members or both, ABC News reported.

U.S. Judge Analisa Torres in New York ruled that the group of detainees, which included both men and women, had requested release “because of the public health crisis posed by COVID-19,” their petition said, according to ABC.

ILHAN OMAR CALLS FOR RELEASE OF ICE DETAINEES, ‘PEOPLE HELD ON BAIL,’ AMID CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK

The detainees were not identified and were being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for unspecified reasons. The migrant group was believed to be the largest in the nation to be ordered freed over concerns about the virus, Politico reported.

The three New Jersey counties lie just across the Hudson River from New York, which has the most coronavirus cases in the nation. New Jersey ranks No. 2 on the list.

“Each Petitioner suffers from chronic medical conditions, and faces an imminent risk of death or serious injury in immigration detention if exposed to COVID-19,” the judge’s decision said, according to the station.

Torres also addressed the conditions at the jails in her decision.

“The nature of detention facilities makes exposure and spread of the virus particularly harmful,” Torres wrote.

Nationwide, the U.S. holds about 37,000 people in detention over immigration issues, according to The Associated Press.

A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer looks on during an operation in Escondido, Calif. (Associated Press)

Many of the detainees are elderly or have pre-existing medical conditions, making them vulnerable to coronavirus, and are held in conditions in which beds are just three feet apart with lack of access to protective gear such as face masks.

CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE

The Hudson County jail reported two detainees and one correctional officer with the virus, while the Bergen County jail reported one detainee had been infected and the Essex County jail reported a superior officer had been diagnosed with the illness, ABC reported.

At least two other federal courts — in Boston and San Francisco — have ordered individual migrants to be freed from detentionin recent days over coronavirus concerns, Politico reported.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Ilhan Omar calls for release of ICE detainees, ‘people held on bail’ amid coronavirus outbreak

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Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., called for freeing ICE detainees and other prisoners Tuesday amid the coronavirus pandemic roiling the United States.

She made the call on Twitter, also urging “a moratorium on incarcerating people who are low risk to others” and placing more medical workers in jails and prisons.

“Incarcerated individuals deserve our humanity too,” she wrote.

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced Tuesday that it was suspending intake at the Bergen County Jail facility in New Jersey after a 31-year-old Mexican detainee there tested positive for COVID-19.

“The individual has been quarantined and is receiving care,” ICE said.

And the Federal Bureau of Prisons already temporarily halted visitations at all of its facilities due to the outbreak.

The first inmate in federal custody to test positive for the virus is being held in New York City, where dozens of other prisoners have also tested positive for the virus, Fox News has reported. And the top response coordinator for the White House’s coronavirus task force on Tuesday warned people who have recently been to the Big Apple to self-quarantine for two weeks.

CLICK HERE TO GET COMPLETE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE

In addition to her tweet, Omar also sent a letter to House leadership Tuesday calling for hundreds of millions of dollars in spending on protections for refugees and asylum seekers to be part of new legislation aimed at combatting the spread of COVID-19.

In the letter, addressed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy from California, Omar requested $350 million for the State Department to spend on migration and refugee assistance and $462 million for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) marked for refugee and entrant assistance.

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“Now is the time to ensure that we do not turn our backs on those we promised to welcome,” she wrote.

She had sent another letter on Friday to acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf calling for a deportation freeze and to suspend immigration enforcement within the U.S.