Maryland senator says Newark ICE facility hides ‘evil persisting in darkness’ after denied access
Most of Maryland’s congressional delegation joined forces to gain access to what Sen. Angela Alsobrooks described as a “shameful, secret place” where ICE detainees were being processed in Baltimore.
Alsobrooks and Sen. Chris Van Hollen, the latter of whom made deported suspected human trafficker Kilmar Garcia a cause célèbre, joined Reps. Kweisi Mfume of Baltimore, Johnny Olszewski Jr. of Baltimore County, Sarah Elfreth of Elkridge and Glenn Ivey of Prince Georges at the facility.
The scene resembled a more peaceful version of a similar visit by several New Jersey lawmakers to an ICE detention facility in Newark, where Rep. LaMonica McIver was arrested for allegedly accosting officers.
Unlike Newark’s jail-type complex, the Baltimore ICE office is more contained within the larger George Fallon federal building near Charles Center.
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Officials said the office is also a processing center and not a detention facility, with small numbers of detainees being matriculated through at any one time.
Alsobrooks told reporters she wanted to “shine a light [on] evil that is persisting in darkness,” while Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said the participants simply wanted a “publicity stunt” in order to be featured on network news.
In separate remarks, Alsobrooks added it is Congress’ job to make sure the Baltimore detainees’ treatment is “not inhumane” and that overall the episode was “distressing.”
She said several doors were locked, employees covered their faces and a woman who identified herself as a facility director could not offer lawmakers a hard count of who was being held there.
“We will continue to insist that the humanity of the people who are housed in those facilities will be respected,” she added.
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons told “Special Report” on Tuesday that Democrats are to blame for the high number of criminal aliens released in Maryland — particularly in Prince George’s County. Alsobrooks previously served as the county executive, and Ivey currently represents the area in the House.
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DHS Secretary Kristi Noem also fired back at the delegation on X, saying Van Hollen was “protecting monsters over American victims,” highlighting four illegal immigrants arrested on charges including possession of child porn, sexual abuse of a minor and conspiracy to commit murder.
But the Maryland Democrats appeared undeterred.
“This president doesn’t give a rat’s a– about any of us,” Alsobrooks said, while Mfume added at a press conference that DHS’ denial of a tour violates a law allowing federal lawmakers to conduct oversight of immigration facilities — and that ICE’s actions do not “bode well here in Baltimore.”
“It’s another sad day here with the Trump administration and their decisions to do illegal activities and ignore the Constitution,” Ivey said while standing outside the Fallon building.
“When I got turned away from the door in El Salvador [to visit Garcia], I wasn’t surprised because that’s basically an authoritarian regime. But I was really disappointed that that’s going to happen here in the United States of America, that you’d get the same reaction you would in a third-world country.”
Two members of Maryland’s delegation did not participate in the Baltimore ICE visit.
Rep. April McClain-Delaney, a Democrat who represents the deep-red Maryland panhandle and some wealthy liberal Washington suburbs, did not travel with the delegation.
Neither did the Old Line State’s last remaining federal Republican officeholder.
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, who represents Ocean City, instead lambasted the spectacle and said he stands with immigration enforcement authorities.
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“These Maryland lawmakers didn’t lift a finger to stop illegal immigrants and MS-13 gangs from pouring into our state, but now they’re staging ‘sit-in’ stunts for cameras to keep illegals in Maryland,” Harris tweeted.
“Spare us the show.”
Alsobrooks appeared to slam Harris in response, according to Maryland Matters, suggesting that as the lone Marylander aligned with the White House, he should be advocating for denied FEMA monies for victims of major flooding in Cumberland and Luke.
“It would be great to be able to get his assistance in getting the disaster relief that people need,” she said, as CBS News reported the relatively conservative populace there is “frustrated” with Trump.
Trump said in June that he wants to “wean off” FEMA disbursements and shift the burden to states similar to plans for the education bureaucracy.
Fox News’ Chad Pergram and Tyler Olson contributed to this report.
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