Warren and Markey ask Justice Department about confusion at immigration courts over CDC coronavirus fliers

Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey on Wednesday sent a letter to the Trump administration requesting information about confusion that played out this week in the nation’s immigration courts over whether judges could hang up Centers for Disease Control and Prevention fliers about coronavirus after the Justice Department asked them to be taken down.

Earlier this week, the union representing immigration judges requested that the Executive Office for Immigration Review — an agency within the Justice Department that oversees the nation’s immigration courts — provide guidance on coronavirus. In the interim, the union sent recommendations to staff, including CDC fliers on the disease and how to prevent its spread to hang up in courtrooms.

Shortly after the judges’ union sent that email Monday, Christopher A. Santoro, acting chief immigration judge, sent a note to court administrators telling them the CDC flier “is not authorized for posting in the immigration courts.”

The Justice Department has since backtracked, telling court administrators and assistant chief immigration judges to post CDC fliers about disease prevention “on each courtroom door and at the courtroom window.”

Still, Warren and Markey, both Massachusetts Democrats, have asked the administration to provide answers about what transpired and why the directive was issued by March 18.

Immigration courts across the country are open amid the outbreak. The Seattle immigration court, however, is closed for a second day in the row after “a reported second-hand exposure to coronavirus.”