By CIDR Co-Founders Rhonda Ríos Kravitz and Kalin Kipling-Mojaddedi
As communities worldwide fight to contain a pandemic that has brought entire nations to a standstill, many detention facilities’ responses remain woefully inadequate.
Yuba County Jail in Marysville, a mere 40 minutes away from California’s capital, is one glaring example.
The jail has been under a more than 41-year consent decree to improve conditions, and as of April 27, detains 260 people.
On April 8, Yuba County Jail Captain Allan Garza sought the help of community organizations and individuals to make 1,000 hand-made masks for those in custody in the jail.
The request was made 20 days after California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a stay-at-home order to halt the spread of COVID-19 and even as the county has a $6.5 million contract with ICE.
Campaign for Immigrant Detention Reform 