Following ICE Detention Facility Visit, Reps. Scholten, Stevens Issue Additional Demands for Accountability

WASHINGTON, DC - Following their recent visit to the North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin, Michigan, U.S. Representatives Hillary Scholten (D-MI-03) and Haley Stevens (D-MI-11) issued additional demands for accountability to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons based on what they saw and heard during their visit.

"During our visit to the facility, we were told that over 100 detainees signed up to speak with us about their experiences inside the facility," wrote Reps. Scholten and Stevens. "We were allowed to see fewer than 10 before our visit was cut short, including a pregnant woman and a man who was too afraid to provide details about facility conditions while ICE staff were listening in. When we requested to speak to the detainees without ICE supervision in the room, we were denied."

In their letter, Scholten and Stevens describe what they saw and heard firsthand:

• Many detainees do not have a clear understanding of the reasons for their detention, their due process rights, or what will happen to them next;
• Detainees are being held at the facility for varying, unpredictable ranges of time, including six months or more;
• Detainees fear retribution for speaking out about conditions at the facility;
• Detainees and visitors are routinely denied privacy and must conduct all conversations under the supervision of facility staff; and
• Detainees reported being held in solitary confinement for unclear reasons, facing severe conditions, including extreme temperatures.

The letter once again reiterates the Members' unanswered questions from their December 2025 letter regarding the death of detainee Nenko Gantchev while in ICE custody, for which they never received a response, and poses new questions regarding conditions at the facility and policies surrounding the use of solitary confinement.

Regarding future Congressional oversight visits to ICE facilities nationwide, the Members made the following demands:

• Members of Congress must be granted access to the North Lake Processing Center and other similar detention centers without prior notice to execute our Constitutional oversight duties on behalf of constituents.
• Members of Congress must be allowed to speak with detainees at the North Lake Processing Center and other similar detention centers without supervision from facility or DHS staff. Detainees must not face any form of retaliation for speaking to Members of Congress.

The full letter is available here.

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