U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Reps. Kweisi Mfume and Sarah Elfreth say touring a Baltimore ICE detention center Wednesday raised more questions than it answered.
The Maryland lawmakers were previously blocked from entering the facility last month by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. This time, they were allowed in — but under tight restrictions. They could not speak with detainees or bring their phones beyond the meeting room.
After emerging from the tour, they criticized ICE for failing to address around 25 key questions, including detainees' nationalities and length of detention.
“They couldn't tell me how many Haitians or Africans have been in this facility, or how many people may have been from Mexico or Honduras, or any European country,” Rep. Mfume told reporters.
Van Hollen said the group saw fewer than 10 people during the visit and was told that’s partly because Maryland ICE teams were working out of state.
The lawmakers also pointed to data suggesting that 84% of those in ICE custody pose no public safety threat. They cited the case of Melissa Tran, a Hagerstown woman detained for a theft she committed as a teenager. According to Van Hollen, Tran served nine months in jail, paid restitution and now runs a small business.
The delegation stressed that the visit was about oversight — not advocacy for criminals.
“We are here because everybody who steps foot in this country deserves due process,” Elfreth said.
They hope their visit will serve as a model for future congressional tours at federal facilities nationwide.
In a statement, an ICE spokesperson said the agency’s officers “bolster public safety by targeting violent gang members, fugitives, and other dangerous individuals” who are here illegally.
The spokesperson added that those in the agency's custody are “treated fairly and humanely from apprehension to removal.”
Reflecting on the visit, Mfume couldn’t shake what he and his colleagues saw.
“As we looked through those big glass windows into what they call a holding area, that can accommodate 10, 20, 30 people, we saw people looking back at us, wondering who we were. Why were we there, and what were we looking at?”
