Immigrants quarantined; two flu cases confirmed

By Leslie Berestein
Union-Tribune Staff Writer
2:00 a.m. July 15, 2009

SOUTH COUNTY — Immigrants being held at an Otay Mesa detention center are being quarantined to halt the potential spread of swine flu in the facility, leading to immigration court delays for some who haven't been sick. Two cases have been confirmed at the private contract facility since last month, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say. Both individuals were treated, have recovered and have since returned to the general population. However, a Russian-born detainee is being held in isolation with flulike symptoms as officials await the results of his test for the H1N1 influenza virus, also known as swine flu.

Meanwhile, 72 detainees are segregated from the general population for observation because they may have had contact with people infected with the virus, ICE spokeswoman Lauren Mack said. The observation period is generally a week.

The observation practice is raising concerns among some attorneys representing detainees, as immigrants who are not ill have had immigration court hearings postponed.

“When you're talking about someone who has been in detention for some time, it is a devastating thing for a client to hear that you are going to be stuck in what amounts to a prison for other weeks or months,â€