ICE and BOP Deny Lawmakers Access to MDC Brooklyn Amid Reports of Inhumane Conditions

Chairman Espaillat, Velázquez, and Goldman Condemn Lack of Transparency, Demand Immediate Termination of ICE Contract

BROOKLYN, NY — Wednesday morning, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Nydia Velázquez (NY-07), and Dan Goldman (NY-10) were denied entry to the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) Brooklyn during an oversight visit. Joined by advocates from the ACLU, NYIC, and NYCLU, the lawmakers had planned to review the conditions under which over 100 immigrants are now being detained following a new ICE agreement with the Bureau of Prisons.

Despite their constitutional oversight authority, officials barred the Members from accessing the East Building, where immigrant detainees are being held, and barricaded them on the premises for a short period of time.

“Denying Members of Congress access to a federal detention facility is outrageous and unacceptable,” said Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairman Espaillat.  “As Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, I won’t tolerate this lack of transparency, especially when the lives of immigrant detainees are at stake. MDC Brooklyn has a well-documented record of abuse. ICE should not be allowed to expand its reach through backdoor deals with federal prisons. This contract must be terminated now.”

“This morning, we were denied our right to conduct oversight, in clear violation of the law. Members of Congress are entitled to make unannounced visits, especially when there are serious concerns about abuse and neglect. Instead, ICE and BOP shut us out,” said Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez. “MDC Brooklyn has a long and shameful history of inhumane conditions, and now they are holding immigrants behind closed doors with no accountability. We are not going away. This contract must be terminated, and we will keep demanding answers.”

“Members of Congress have a constitutional and statutory right and responsibility to conduct oversight at facilities being used by the Department of Homeland Security to detain immigrants. Period, end of story,” Congressman Dan Goldman said. “The Trump administration’s lawless efforts to defy that constitutional authority are a gross abuse of power and we’re taking them to court in defense of that principle and to find out what they’re hiding.”

The denial of access raises grave concerns about what ICE and BOP are attempting to hide. MDC Brooklyn has a documented history of abuse, neglect, and civil rights violations—including medical mistreatment, extreme temperatures, and unsanitary conditions. Federal judges have condemned the jail as “barbaric” and “inhumane,” and yet it continues to be used for civil immigration detention.

“Denying members of Congress their access to immigration detention violates their right to conduct oversight at a time when we need it most,” said Sarah Mehta, deputy director of government affairs at the ACLU. “Masked deportation squads are taking people off of our streets and putting them behind closed doors where they have limited access to counsel and are often held in appalling conditions. We need more oversight and transparency, not less.”

“MDC is notorious for dangerous and inhumane conditions that have resulted in multiple inmate deaths – including medical neglect, abuse, severe understaffing, and extreme temperatures. Detaining any New Yorkers in these conditions is a violation of their human rights. And denying Members of Congress access to a federal detention facility is not only morally reprehensible, it is illegal. Not only did MDC deny oversight access to their detention center, they went as far as to detain Congressmembers and myself – MDC must be held accountable for this egregious action. We join our Congressional Representatives to demand the end of illegal detentions, abductions of immigrant NYers at courthouses and on the streets. The Trump administration must end its mass deportation agenda and attacks on immigrants now,” says Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, New York Immigration Coalition.

“MDC Brooklyn is a secretive, inhumane disaster that should have no place in immigration enforcement,” said Daniel Lambright, Special Counsel for Criminal Justice Litigation at the NYCLU. “They wouldn’t let us in this morning, but we know what they are trying to hide: spoiled food, extreme temperatures, lack of medical care, and unchecked violence. No one should endure such abuse, let alone immigrants accused of no crime awaiting their day in court. As the Trump administration tries to supercharge its mass deportation and degradation agenda, it’s imperative that our congressional leaders can provide oversight and observe conditions at jails like MDC Brooklyn.”

The Members are demanding an immediate investigation into the ICE-BOP agreement and calling for the termination of ICE’s contract with MDC. Blocking elected officials from performing oversight duties is unacceptable and only deepens concerns about systemic abuse inside the facility.