Search Articles
BROOKLYN (CN) — Three members of Congress were blocked Wednesday from entering a federal jail where more than 100 immigrants are being detained under an agreement between the federal Bureau of Prisons and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
U.S. Representatives Adriano Espaillat, Nydia Velázquez and Dan Goldman say they tried to conduct an oversight visit at the Metropolitan Detention Center in response to reports of inhumane conditions at the facility.
“This is a notorious prison,” Espaillat, who chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said in an interview. He cited previous complaints about lack of heat and hot water, maggot-infested food, inhumane treatment, abuse and neglect.
Ten people have died at the detention center in the past five years, the congressman said. “We wanted to exercise our ability to provide a level of supervision and oversight over some of these facilities and structures.”
Espaillat, Velázquez and Goldman sought to invoke their constitutional oversight authority to access the MDC’s East Building, where immigrant detainees are being housed.
Instead, the lawmakers said a masked ICE agent who refused to provide his name locked both the doors to the building and the gate enclosing the facility, trapping the lawmakers for about 45 minutes, until they were told they needed to provide advance notice of their visit.
That rule — a new policy requiring at least a week’s warning before conducting an oversight visit at an ICE facility — contradicts federal law, said Espaillat.
Espaillat, Goldman and 10 other lawmakers sued the Department of Homeland Security last month the wake of other instances in which lawmakers were kept out of immigration facilities.
On July 14, Espaillat and Velázquez were similarly denied access to the Manhattan immigration courthouse at 26 Federal Plaza. Velázquez said they were told the building — where New York City Comptroller Brad Lander was arrested in June while escorting a man out of his immigration proceeding — was a processing facility, not a detention facility.
But reports have detailed detention conditions at the administrative buildings.
“People are held — they’re picked up when they go to court there, and they’re held for several days, rendering that place to be, obviously, a holding-style facility as well,” Espaillat said. “We’ve seen videos … there are 30 men, sleeping on the floor, one working toilet, et cetera.”
Along with the America Civil Liberties Union and immigration rights advocates, the trio of lawmakers are calling for the end of a “memorandum of understanding” between ICE and the Bureau of Prisons to house those facing deportation proceedings at the Brooklyn facility that counts Sean “Diddy” Combs among its current detainees.
Espaillat said the agreement itself is problematic, given that it houses immigration detainees within a prison population.
“There are people there who are very violent — and these are just working folks that maybe are in the process of regularizing their status, or are here regularly. They should not be exposed to that kind of dangerous environment and I believe very strongly that this is part of the massive deportation. They’re looking at any and all possibilities to house folks, arrest them, detain them and eventually deport them.”
In an emailed statement to Courthouse News, Scott Taylor, a Bureau of Prisons representative, alluded to the lack of notice before the lawmakers’ visit.
“We acknowledge the importance of transparency and respect the role of elected officials overseeing government operations. However, as a law enforcement entity, we must prioritize the safety of our staff, inmates, and our facilities. We remain committed to working with our Congressional partners. With proper notice, the BOP is happy to accommodate a request for a site visit from any Congressional member,” Taylor said.
Espaillat said he and other lawmakers will continue to visit courtrooms and detention sites while the lawsuit progresses.
Follow @NinaPullanoSubscribe to our free newsletters
Our weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.