Maryland senators raise concerns about alleged inhumane conditions at Baltimore ICE facility
Maryland Senators Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks contacted federal officials to raise concerns about "unacceptable conditions" that detainees are facing at the Baltimore U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office.
The Democratic senators sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons about the conditions in the ICE Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) facility.
The letter came in response to reports that detainees are being held in rooms that do not meet their basic needs. The senators said concerns include overcrowding in holding cells, no bed space, lack of adequate food service and lack of on-site medical staff.
In their letter, the senators called on Noem and Lyons to stop holding people in temporary holding rooms for more than 12 hours in accordance with ICE standards.
Senators' staff visit ICE Baltimore facility
Senators Van Hollen and Alsobrooks said members of their staff visited the ICE Baltimore facility in March. During their visit, they noted that detainees were being held for about a day and a half, which is longer than the six to eight hour duration the facility is equipped for and longer than the 12 hour ICE standard.
Staff members also found that the facility recently held 54 people at once, which they considered concerning due to the size of the rooms.
The staff members also noted that there was no infirmary or medical staff on site and that ICE staff have been making sandwiches or ordering from McDonald's to serve at mealtimes.
According to the senators, the holding rooms in the Baltimore ICE facility do not have bed space, so emergency foil blankets and inflatable beds are being used instead.
"While the local ICE personnel are making an effort to accommodate detainees' needs during longer stays, it is clear that the directives from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ICE Headquarters in service of President Trump's mass deportation agenda are resulting in unacceptable harms inflicted on those being detained in the BHR [Baltimore Holding Rooms]," Sens. Van Hollen and Alsobrooks said in their letter.
During their visit, the senators' staff members also noted that the only oversight at the Baltimore ICE facility was a self-inspection program.
"Subjecting detainees to such inhumane and unsafe conditions does nothing to improve our border security or deter illegal immigration – it only puts people's health and safety at risk," Sens. Van Hollen and Alsobrooks said.
Protests over conditions at ICE Baltimore facility
Since the Trump administration began cracking down on illegal immigration in the U.S., community activists have held a few protests over conditions at the Baltimore ICE facility.
In mid-March, a group of activists stood outside the George H. Fallon Federal Building in Baltimore to protest the "unlawful and inhumane detainment of immigrants."
"You're making some people sleep on the floor —men and women sleep on the floor. I heard a story that someone soiled themselves because they didn't have access to a bathroom," one protester told WJZ.
During another protest, an immigration advocate said detainees at the Baltimore facility "are forced to endure meals of insufficient food, barely any water, and, most appallingly, people like my daughter are being denied the vital medications they need for their health and well-being."
ICE responds to claims made by protesters
A spokesperson with ICE responded to WJZ's questions about the protests, saying it only operates a holding room in Baltimore, which is not held to the same standards as a detention facility.
In the statement, ICE said the facility complies with federal laws to "uphold the well-being and dignity of those in our custody."
The statement also said the ICE Health Service Corps is on-site and able to provide necessary medical services.
"In the event of a medical emergency, detainees are promptly transported to nearby hospitals to receive immediate and appropriate care," the statement said. "ICE remains dedicated to transparency and accountability in our operations."
Senators question federal officials on Baltimore ICE conditions
Senators Van Hollen and Alsobrooks included several questions for DHS Secretary Noem and ICE Acting Director Lyons in their letter.
The senators further requested that federal officials provide a waiver for the 12-hour holding rule and provide answers to their questions by April 24.
The senators included the following questions:
- When was the 12-hour holding rule waiver granted, and why is it being granted indefinitely?
- Clarify whether the ICE Memorandum on the operations of the ERO Holding Facility applies to the Baltimore Field Office
- After learning about a lack of detention space on the East Coast, which Department of Defense (DOD) and Bureau of Prisons (BOP) facilities are being considered for use, and do they meet national standards?
- Does ICE have additional plans to alleviate overcrowding in the Baltimore holding rooms?
- Will 287(g) agreements between Carroll, Garrett and Washington counties and ICE impact operations at the Baltimore facility?
- Given that DHS has moved to eliminate the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman, and the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman, which other offices will engage in their respective responsibilities?
WJZ has reached out to Baltimore ICE officials for a statement, but has not yet heard back.
