‘Can’t speak to our constituents’: Dem lawmakers stage sit-in after being denied entry to ICE facility

Members of Maryland’s Democratic congressional delegation staged a sit-in at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) building used to temporarily hold individuals facing deportation Monday afternoon after being denied a tour of the facility.

The Maryland Democrats, including Democratic Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks, attempted to inspect the facility after accusing ICE of maintaining inadequate conditions for the illegal immigrants under detention there — a claim that ICE denies. One of the Democratic lawmakers said she and her colleagues were there to protest on behalf of their “constituents” in ICE custody, despite those under detention being migrants without legal status who broke the law by living in their districts.

Democratic Maryland Rep. Sarah Elfreth, one of the lawmakers joining the sit-in, referred to the illegal immigrants in the Baltimore ICE custody as her “constituents” in a video posted to the social media platform X Monday.

“Our constituents, many of my constituents have gone through this facility, and we’ve only found out because their families, their loved ones have reached out to us, and we are doing everything we can on their behalf,” Elfreth said in a video. “We know that 80% — they’ve admitted 80% of those who have been detained have no criminal record — including the constituents that I represent.”

Elfreth also characterized the illegal immigrants as her constituents when speaking with an ICE official at the Baltimore facility, according to the Baltimore Sun.

Democratic Maryland Rep. Kweisi Mfume, a senior member of the House Oversight Committee, told reporters at a press conference following the sit-in that the delegation chose to stage a protest after being denied entry to the facility to allegedly conduct oversight.

“We were not allowed entry, so we had to stand outside, bang on the door, and ultimately sit in front of the door,” Mfume said. “Finally, a director came out and explained to us that she had been given direction not to allow anyone, member of the House, Senate, or anyone into the facility.”

The ICE official said the lawmakers did not have the right to enter the facility because the building functioned as a holding area and not a long-term detention facility. Reputed MS-13 gangbanger and alleged human trafficker Kilmar Abrego Garcia was held at the Baltimore facility before being deported to El Salvador.

Democratic Maryland Rep. Glenn Ivey, a member of the sit-in delegation who represents the district where Garcia was living illegally, has previously referred to Garcia as his “constituent.”

Republican Maryland Rep. Andy Harris, the lone Republican in the state’s congressional delegation, torched his colleagues for orchestrating a protest at the Baltimore ICE facility.

“These Maryland lawmakers didn’t lift a finger to stop illegal immigrants and MS-13 gangs from pouring into our state, but now they’re staging ‘sit-in’ stunts for cameras to keep illegals in Maryland,” Harris wrote on the social media platform X. “Spare us the show. We stand with ICE and their mission to keep Maryland safe.”

A Wall Street Journal poll published Thursday found that voters trust Republicans to handle illegal immigration more than Democrats by 24 percentage points.

Spokespersons for Elfreth and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.

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