An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deportation flight to Somalia -- which faced objections from Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., due to fears about the potential spread of COVID-19 -- included criminals with convictions for rape, murder and assault, the agency said in a letter to the congresswoman. “This week, ICE removed 39 Somalia nationals, 36 of whom have criminal histories,” Acting ICE Director Tony Pham said in a letter to Omar. Omar, along with human rights lawyers and advocates, had raised concerns about the flight to Somalia because of the potential spread of COVID-19. “If ICE tries to deport people who don’t have recent negative tests, they’re violating their agreement with the Somali government,” she said. He also said that for countries that require a negative COVID-19 test, all deportees must have tested negative.

Source: Fox News September 21, 2020 11:48 UTC