MENG VISITS METROPOLITAN DETENTION CENTER IN BROOKLYN

QUEENS, NY - U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens) announced today that she visited the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn where she toured the facility and met with two New Yorkers currently detained there by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) including New York City Council employee Rafael Rubio.

The Congresswoman visited MDC Brooklyn in her capacity as the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, which is the Congressional panel that sets funding levels for the Department of Justice and Bureau of Prisons. MDC Brooklyn operates under the Bureau of Prisons.

During the visit, Meng was briefed by MDC Brooklyn's executive staff and other personnel. She toured numerous parts of the building including male and female housing units, the medical department, education department, library, visiting room, religious services department, and other areas. She also toured the portion of the facility where ICE detainees are being held, which is where she met with Rubio and a constituent from Queens.

Rubio, 53, is a Venezuelan national and a data analyst for the City Council. He was detainedin January following a routine asylum interview at an immigration center on Long Island.

The constituent is an asylum seeker who was detained by ICE last month.

"An important part of my job as a Member of Congress and the Ranking Member of the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Subcommittee is to conduct oversight of government facilities and operations funded by Congress," said Congresswoman Meng. "I visited MDC Brooklyn to conduct this oversight of the Bureau of Prisons and ICE and ensure that the New Yorkers who are incarcerated or detained there are being treated humanely and fairly as the law requires. I continue to strongly oppose the vast overreach of the Department of Homeland Security across the country and in New York - which brought ICE to MDC Brooklyn. And I will continue fighting for transparency and accountability at DHS."

"I was glad that I was able to meet with and check on both Rafael Rubio as well as my constituent," Meng added. "I made sure that they are safe and receiving the humane treatment they are entitled to, and I shared that I and many other New Yorkers continue to stand with them during this deeply difficult and troubling time."

"I'm grateful to Congresswoman Meng for checking in on Rafael's wellbeing during this incredibly difficult time," said New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin. "From the moment he was detained, the City Council moved quickly to stand up for our colleague - filing a habeas petition, monitoring court proceedings, and working with our partners to advocate for his release. Rafael is a valued public servant and a beloved colleague, and his absence from work has been deeply felt. We appreciate Congresswoman Meng's leadership and partnership as we continue fighting to ensure Rafael receives the justice and due process he deserves."

MDC Brooklyn is primarily used for post-arrest detention for people awaiting trial in federal courts in Manhattan or Brooklyn. Under an inter-agency agreement, the facility also began holding up to 124 ICE detainees last year.