Lawmakers stress need for immigration site visits fast

McClain Delaney is among Democratic members of Congress emphasizing the importance of being able to conduct immediate oversight visits to detention centres, as they renew their legal challenge to the latest Department of Homeland Security policy requiring a seven-day waiting period

- Chris Johnson, Tribune News Service

When Rep. April McClain Delaney made an oversight visit to an immigration detention site in Baltimore last month, 47 days after her office originally requested, the Maryland Democrat said she found concerning conditions with detainees gesturing for food and water and placed in rooms with 40 others. But it was clear Immigration and Customs Enforcement had made changes prior to her visit, McClain Delaney told reporters, and migrants housed there told her the facility was cleaned just prior to her arrival. "While I am relieved to be granted access after requesting this tour nearly two months ago, it's clear that ICE gave us a highly sanitized portrayal of this facility," McClain Delaney said in a news release. "What remains unknown is what conditions look like when I'm not there.

McClain Delaney is among Democratic members of Congress emphasizing the importance of being able to conduct immediate oversight visits to detention centers, as they renew their legal challenge to the latest Department of Homeland Security policy requiring a seven-day waiting period. Judge Jia M. Cobb of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia this month temporarily halted implementation of the DHS policy and will hold a hearing Thursday over whether to issue a more permanent block while the lawsuit plays out.