LOS ANGELES—A Riverside-based federal judge’s order requiring the release of illegal immigrants from detention centers where COVID-19 risks were high was overturned Oct. 20 by a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
The appellate panel ruled 2-1 that U.S. District Judge Jesus Bernal overstepped when he granted a preliminary injunction in April 2020 to modify the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainment practices nationwide to reduce COVID-19 exposure risks.
