COVID-19 safety protocols at the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Facility are expected to end this week as a result of the conclusion of a three-year legal settlement in the case Zepeda Rivas v. Jennings. 

The federal class action lawsuit was filed in April 2020 on behalf of immigrants held at Mesa Verde and Yuba County Jail. The case challenged conditions during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

A court settlement in 2022 required ICE and private contractor GEO Group to follow health and safety measures, including population limits, regular COVID testing, vaccine requirements, and the release of medically vulnerable individuals. 

A representative from Mesa Verde confirmed to Kern Sol News that the settlement’s COVID-related protocols will end this week. They could not confirm whether more detainees may be transferred to the facility following the settlement’s expiration.

During the lawsuit, the number of people held at the two detention centers decreased from 462 to 62. Approximately 250 people were released as a result of the court case. The settlement also limited the government’s ability to detain them again. 

In a 2020 court order, U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria criticized ICE and GEO for delays in testing, keeping sick individuals in crowded spaces, and providing incorrect information to the court. The settlement is now ending after three years. 

Jeannie Parent, a member of Kern Welcoming and Extending Solidarity to Immigrants (KWESI), said there is concern in the community about what comes next.

“They’ve already started shifting people between dorms and preparing to increase capacity,” Parent said. “Right now, detainees have empty bunks next to them, room to distance but that’s going to change. It’s unclear if they’ll transfer people from the border, from other detention centers, or elsewhere, but it won’t all happen at once. Still, this marks a big shift.”

The settlement is now coming to a close after years of court-enforced protections.