ICE officials have faced scrutiny over the conditions at its Baltimore facility, where dozens of people were once held in packed and bleak conditions. On Monday, members of Maryland’s congressional delegation arrived for an oversight visit to find empty cells, sparking questions about what happened to the detainees.
According to multiple sources, including a man detained in Baltimore over the weekend, ICE officials told detainees they would soon be leaving but ignored their questions. The detainees were then loaded onto vans and flown to Arizona, where they were held briefly before being split up and moved to other detention centers across the country.
The Baltimore facility has faced criticism for its overcrowding and harsh conditions, including limited food and water, and reports of detainee abuse. ICE officials have not responded to repeated questions from The Banner about what happened to the detainees once they left Baltimore.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security recently purchased a Western Maryland warehouse that it hopes to convert into a detention facility, but efforts have been stymied by a federal judge’s stop-work order requested by Maryland’s attorney general.
In a statement, Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen said the mass transfer appears to be another instance in a persistent pattern of this Administration attempting to cover up their abuses and evade accountability.
Source: https://www.thebanner.com/politics-power/state-government/ice-detainee-baltimore-holding-rooms-congressional-visit-5O4R7N2SOVFFNEDRANT2NH3RMI