ICE agents continued their crackdown on undocumented immigrants in New York City despite early warning signs that the COVID-19 outbreak was gaining strength. The strategy has led to detention facilities packed with detained immigrants living in unsanitary conditions, many with conditions that make them vulnerable to the virus, according to The Intercept.

NYC defender organizations have again questioned ICE’s relentless tactics, pointing out that they have led to jails packed with people that they are struggling to protect from the virus.

“ICE’s continued inaction made today’s confirmed Covid-19 case in ICE detention a virtual inevitability and further highlights the urgent need to release all individuals in ICE custody immediately,” reads a statement from the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP). “ICE has refused to heed our demands, and their lack of transparency and outright denial — despite mounting reports of mass quarantines throughout the facilities — is nothing short of criminal.”