An ICE detention center in Chantilly is operating above its holding capacity, according to a report from the Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights, creating inhumane and unsafe conditions for detainees.
The Chantilly ICE Field Office is the focus of a lawsuit filed by a group of 12 congressional Democrats who were denied entry to conduct federally mandated oversight at the facility last month after receiving reports of “poor conditions and overcrowding.”
Take action
- Call the White House Comment Line at (202) 456-1111 and urge immediate action to end these inhumane conditions.
- Contact U.S. Sen. Mark Warner at (202) 224-2023, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine at (202) 224-4024 and Congressman Eugene Vindman at (202) 225-2815 to request an urgent oversight visit to the Chantilly ICE Field Office.
The new report from VCIR, released on Tuesday, tells us that “individuals inside are facing a lack of clean drinking water, insufficient food and overcrowded, cramped spaces.”
“Attorneys have also been denied access to their clients, raising grave concerns about detainees’ well-being and basic rights,” the report goes on.
“Attorneys who represent people detained at this facility are being blocked from seeing their clients,” VCIR Executive Director Monica Sarmiento said. “One client was held for seven days without any access to their lawyer. This is a blatant denial of due process, and attorneys cannot be assured of their clients’ safety or well-being. This is unacceptable.”
Sarmiento added: “Everyone, regardless of status, deserves humane treatment. Generations before us fought to secure the right of due process – rights that are clearly being denied in Chantilly today.”
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Chris Graham
