BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — A local group gathered in front of Mesa Verde ICE Processing Facility to call for greater attention from Public Health regarding COVID-19.

The group Rapid Response Network of Kern County claims more than 50% of immigrants detained at Mesa Verde have tested positive for COVID-19. Earlier this month, a federal judge in San Francisco ordered immediate testing of all detainees and staff at the facility. The judge cited similar testing results, stating that nearly half of the detainees tested earlier in the week were positive for the illness caused by the coronavirus.

The order followed a series of hearings in a class-action lawsuit filed in April by the public defender’s office, the ACLU foundations of Northern California and Southern California, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, and the Lakin & Wille and Cooley law firms.

On Monday, the group sent a letter to the director of the public health department, and other local and state elected officials, with specific inquiries to resolve.