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Maryland Lawmakers Barred From Baltimore ICE Site Stage Hallway Sit-In

Denial of a tour under a directive requiring advance notice underscores a legal clash over congressional oversight of ICE detention centers

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From left, U.S. Representative Johnny Olszewski, Jr. (MD-02), U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) climb the stairs to the George H. Fallon Federal Building to conduct an official oversight visit of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) holding facility. They were denied access to the holding facility. (Kim Hairston/Staff)
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Overview

  • A bipartisan delegation of Maryland lawmakers was stopped by acting ICE director Nikita Baker from touring the temporary holding facility on the Fallon Federal Building’s sixth floor
  • Baker invoked a DHS memo that classifies the site as a holding location rather than a detention center and mandates up to 72 hours’ notice for congressional visits
  • Delegation members had sent ICE a letter last week citing a 2024 law that grants members of Congress unannounced access to immigration facilities for oversight
  • After being refused entry, Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks and Reps. Kweisi Mfume, Sarah Elfreth, Glenn Ivey and Johnny Olszewski Jr. staged a sit-in outside the Enforcement and Removal Operations offices
  • Advocates point to a recent class-action lawsuit over inhumane conditions and the March mistaken deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to fuel demands for transparency and accountability