1. United States
2. N.Y.
3. Letter

I am writing to you to express my profound alarm regarding the escalating human rights crisis within Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities. I am deeply disturbed by the growing reports of missing individuals and systemic transparency failures within ICE custody. Furthermore, I am outraged by the aggressive obstruction and targeted prosecution facing members of Congress who attempt to fulfill their constitutional oversight duties. Recent reports demonstrate a terrifying lack of accountability. Families are being left in emotional distress because ICE frequently fails to maintain accurate, timely data on its Online Detainee Locator database. Even worse, there is a documented pattern of the agency aggressively maneuvering around transparency laws. For instance, during an oversight visit by Representatives Ilhan Omar and Angie Craig to a Minnesota facility, ICE abruptly transferred all detainees out of the building just 30 minutes before the lawmakers arrived, explicitly preventing them from verifying detention conditions or distributing privacy release forms. Most alarming is the weaponization of law enforcement against federal lawmakers. I am deeply concerned by the treatment of Representative LaMonica McIver, who was aggressively mistreated and later indicted on federal charges following an oversight visit to the Delaney Hall facility in Newark. When masked federal agents initiated a chaotic confrontation and arrested a local mayor, Representative McIver faced the brunt of physical escalation from the agents themselves. Using aggressive tactics, chemical agents, and trumped-up criminal charges to punish lawmakers for performing unannounced inspections is a dangerous violation of the law and a direct threat to our democracy. Members of Congress have a statutory right to inspect these facilities to ensure that tax dollars are not funding systemic abuse, medical neglect, and unlawful secrecy. As my representative, I urge you to take immediate action by demanding: A comprehensive Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Inspector General investigation into missing persons, faulty detainee tracking systems, and recent spikes in custody deaths. Full accountability for ICE personnel who use aggressive tactics, chemical agents, or deceptive transfers to obstruct congressional visits. Strict legislative protections to ensure that the constitutional right to conduct unannounced oversight of federal detention facilities is preserved without fear of political retaliation. The weaponization of federal agencies to hide human rights abuses and intimidate elected officials cannot be tolerated. I look forward to hearing about the specific steps you will take to address this critical matter. Thank you for your time and your service to our district.