UCD study: Immigrants in ICE detention face high risks in pandemic Shares Those imprisoned in immigration detention facilities across the country face underlying health conditions and often have chronic illnesses that would expose them to greater risk with COVID-19, a new UC Davis study suggests. “The research is clear: Immigration detention is not only unnecessary for facilitating a just immigration system, but also causes extensive harm to detained people, perhaps especially to those facing chronic health conditions,” said the study’s lead author, “This is particularly alarming in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The government must act quickly to permanently reduce reliance on this overly punitive and systematically unjust practice.”