Letter
USCCB Letter to Congressional Committees on the Judiciary Concerning Coronavirus (2020)
USCCB Letter to Congressional Committees on the Judiciary Concerning Coronavirus, April 9, 2020
Dear Chairman Graham, Ranking Member Feinstein, Chairman Nadler, and Ranking Member Jordan, We commend you and your colleagues on the swift and bipartisan manner in which Congress has responded to the health and economic crises our nation is facing as a result of the novel coronavirus. We express our appreciation for the helpful provisions that were included in the legislative packages enacted so far in response to the crisis and offer suggestions on further legislative steps we believe are urgently needed.
We write to raise a Copyright Act issue with you and to intercede on behalf of persons in jails, prisons, and detention facilities, who are especially vulnerable to contagion and illness in the midst of this pandemic. We also encourage you to allow all persons to access COVID testing and treatment, regardless of immigration status, without fear of deportation or excludability.
Coronavirus infections are already mounting within the federal prison and immigrant detention systems, and prisoners are dying. The Judiciary Committee should encode in legislation that older detainees, juveniles, and those with underlying health conditions should be offered expedited review for possible release under an expanded clemency framework. This work would strengthen the directive of the Attorney General, released on Friday, which calls for expedited release of vulnerable inmates to home confinement. Facilities will need significant additional medical resources for caring for those who do get sick.