Reps. Kamlager-Dove, Chu, Sánchez, Takano, and Rivas Successfully Gain Access to Adelanto ICE Facility, Demanding Accountability and Answers
ADELANTO, CA – Today, Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28), Rep. Linda Sánchez (CA-38), Rep. Mark Takano (CA-39), and Rep. Luz Rivas (CA-29) were granted entry to the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in order to conduct oversight guaranteed by federal law. The lawmakers demanded answers following reports of unlawful immigration raids, due process violations, and alarming allegations that U.S. citizens may have been wrongfully detained.
The Members learned that the facility, which held just 300 individuals last month, is now at full capacity with 1,100 detainees. This drastic surge is not about targeting dangerous criminals. It is the direct result of Donald Trump’s policies aimed at rounding up hard-working immigrants who are essential to our communities and economy.
“Donald Trump’s ICE raids in Los Angeles have terrorized our communities and left families in the dark about the whereabouts of their loved ones,” said Rep. Kamlager-Dove. “Alarming reports of inhumane conditions and lack of access to legal counsel at the Adelanto detention facility compelled my colleagues and I to conduct this oversight visit — and what we witnessed confirmed our worst fears. Detainees forced to wear the same clothes for ten days. Individuals lacking access to drinking water and medical care. Meals every fourteen hours. We will not stop fighting until every constitutional right is upheld and every abuse is brought to light.”
“While I’m relieved that we were ultimately allowed into the Adelanto facility, as is our legal right as Members of Congress, this visit only reinforced how much work remains,” said Rep. Chu. “The conditions many of these people are facing are inhumane. The detainees told me that they have gone days without changing their clothes, and they have been unable to use the telephone to call their families or a legal representative. The people I met are not criminals, they are hardworking individuals who strengthen our communities and they simply want the opportunity to work for a better life. I will continue to closely monitor conditions at this ICE facility, as I have done before, and work with both local and federal officials to ensure that everyone, regardless of status, is afforded their full right to due process.”
“President Trump is indiscriminately targeting the hardworking individuals in our communities who keep our economy running. He is not reducing crime. The immigration raids happening today in places like Pico Rivera are racial profiling. Full stop. What we saw and heard at Adelanto is equally as disturbing as the cruel ICE raids in our neighborhoods. The administration is deliberately hiding the truth: immigrants, some here legally, are being detained in inhumane conditions, without enough food, clean clothing, the ability to call their families or access to a lawyer. This is a betrayal of our values and a violation of our immigration laws. It must end,” said Rep. Sánchez.
"Just because ICE has opened their doors to a few members of Congress does not excuse their inflammatory tactics to meet deportation quotas," said Rep. Takano. "Accountability means showing a consistent pattern of accessibility, not just a one-off event. ICE and DHS still must be reined, and stop a bad faith enforcement of immigration law to bring relief to my community."
“The conditions we saw inside the Adelanto ICE Detention Center prove that Donald Trump’s policies are putting our most vulnerable in harm’s way,” said Rep. Rivas. “From being detained for lawfully seeking asylum to cutting off communication to family and counsel, no one should be forced to live through what this Administration is forcing immigrants to live through. My colleagues and I will continue to conduct oversight of these facilities to expose the effects of Donald Trump’s cruel policies on our most vulnerable communities.”
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