House Republicans Block Congressman Menendez's Amendments to Address Conditions at Immigration Detention Facilities

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congressman Rob Menendez called out House Republicans for refusing to consider his amendments to H.R. 7147, which provides FY2026 appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Menendez's amendments included provisions barring DHS from spending taxpayer dollars to renovate or operate warehouse facilities for immigrant detention and would require immigrant detention facilities to provide safe and adequate visitor accommodations for family members, legal representatives, and other visitors of those held at these facilities.

"Today, we presented House Republicans an opportunity to prevent some of DHS and ICE's detrimental actions to our communities - proposing to detain individuals in warehouses and having unsafe conditions for visitors at detention facilities, including family members and lawyers," said Congressman Menendez. "Instead of working with us to address these issues and to ensure that people are afforded basic dignity, they rejected both of my amendments. In doing so, they showed once again that they will never hold DHS, ICE, or this Administration accountable."

Menendez's amendments would have:

1. Barred funds from H.R. 7147 from being used for the construction, renovation, or operation of any warehouse facility or any structure that was previously used or repurposed for use as a warehouse for the purposes of immigration detention; and
2. Barred funds from H.R. 7147 being used for detention facilities that do not provide safe and adequate accommodations, including protection from extreme weather conditions, for family members, legal representatives, and other authorized visitors.

The amendment on preventing funding from being used on warehouses for immigration detention was supported by Congressmembers Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) and LaMonica McIver (NJ-10). The amendment on improving conditions for visitors to immigration detention centers was supported by Congressmembers Watson Coleman and Donald Norcross (NJ-1).

Congressman Menendez has been a leader in the House of Representatives on oversight of immigrant detention centers. He has worked to ban private immigrant detention centers and led his colleagues in fighting the Trump Administration's illegal restrictions on oversight of these facilities.

Earlier this month, Congressman Menendez called on DHS to halt reported plans to open a detention center in a warehouse in Roxbury, NJ. Last year, in response to reports that the Trump Administration was planning to expand immigration detention in New Jersey, Menendez led bicameral members of the New Jersey congressional delegation in opposing this expansion and demanding transparency. Since being sworn into Congress in 2023, he has repeatedly called for the closure of all immigrant detention centers in New Jersey and has conducted several unannounced visits of Delaney Hall and the Elizabeth Detention Center. He has long advocated for the humane and dignified treatment of individuals in detention.

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