Chicago Members of Congress Denied Entry to ICE Processing Center in Broadview, IL
Chicago Members of Congress Denied Entry to ICE Processing Center in Broadview, IL
CHICAGO — Today, Members of Congress Danny K. Davis (IL-07), Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), and Jonathan Jackson (IL-01) joined immigration lawyers and advocates to conduct a visit to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Processing Center in Broadview, Illinois. The Members were unlawfully denied entry, even after identifying themselves with their official Congressional voting cards.
The visit was prompted by reports that the center is unlawfully being used against city and state ordinances as a detention center, where migrants are being denied access to their attorneys and held in inhumane and unsanitary conditions, sleeping on the floor, and without complete meals. Under appropriation laws, Members of Congress have the authority to enter any facility operated by or for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) used to detain or otherwise house people without advance notice.
“Today, I visited the Broadview Processing Center in our district to stand with my colleagues and families navigating the uncertainty of Homeland Security processes. Providing direct services—legal counsel, translation help, connection to community support—is not just a gesture, it’s a responsibility,” said Congressman Davis. “Our constituents deserve dignity and clarity, especially when they’re at their most vulnerable. I’ll continue to advocate for transparency and fair treatment, and fight to ensure federal agencies in our district operate with accountability and humanity.”
“We came to this center today and respectfully asked to be allowed to conduct an oversight visit, but were denied entry. Last week about 200 people received texts and emails ordering them to report to this processing center and then were detained,” said Congressman García. “Some families were told to come to the processing center on a day when families should have been celebrating Father’s Day. But with the cruelty that has characterized this administration, their children found themselves not knowing where their dads were or when they would see them again. These are not criminals. These are hard working people who are contributing to our country.”
“Under Kristi Noem's leadership, ICE has spent billions of dollars to terrorize our communities and violate our rights. We have heard of inhumane conditions in which our neighbors are unlawfully held in these detention centers, without access to their medication, legal counsel, or basic necessities. The abuses must stop,” said Congresswoman Ramirez, who serves on the Homeland Security Committee. “We came to the ICE Processing Center at Broadview to observe the conditions here and fulfill our oversight authority, granted under appropriation laws. But this Administration continues to break the law and bypass Congressional authority because they do not want us to see the cruelty behind these doors. They do not want us to shine a light on the ways they are abusing the power of DHS to violate our rights, undermine due process, and tear our communities apart. For my constituents, our neighbors, and our country, I will continue to call for Noem's resignation and do everything in my power to hold her accountable.”
“Our visit to Broadview today was absolutely essential, a vital step in our unyielding fight for transparency and accountability in our immigration system. As elected officials, it is our sacred duty to witness these facilities firsthand, to look into the eyes of those being processed, and to ensure that operations align with every fiber of our American values and uphold the inherent dignity of every single human being,” said Congressman Jackson. “What I faced yesterday in the South Loop as well -being actively barred from performing congressional oversight- is an outrage. It doesn’t just underscore the urgent need for open access; it demands immediate answers from ICE regarding their deplorable practices and the well-being of those trapped in their custody.
“The Broadview processing center has been a central site in the Chicago area that ICE has used to entrap and disappear immigrants, trampling on due process and other constitutional protections. NIJC demands that ICE end this inhumane practice of using check-ins to tear apart our families and communities,” said Cecilia Mendoza, Associate Director of Government Relations for NIJC.
“After being denied access to the ICE processing center in Broadview today, we are forced to ask: what is ICE trying to hide?” said Lawrence Benito, Executive Director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. “It’s clear that ICE is trying to hide inhumane conditions inside their facilities as they terrorize our communities in broad daylight. We thank Congress members Davis, Garcia, Ramirez, and Jackson for standing up for immigrant communities today by calling for accountability and transparency from ICE. We further ask them to continue fighting in DC to stop deportations, and stop Trump’s efforts to cut healthcare to fund even more aggressive ICE enforcement.”
BACKGROUND:
Under the Trump administration, multiple media outlets and human rights organizations have reported inhumane conditions at ICE facilities. Reports include the unlawful detention of citizens, permanent residents, and undocumented immigrants in facilities without access to basic necessities, medical assistance, due process, and legal counsel. At the moment, ICE seeks to expand detention space in the U.S. and abroad. Given the lack of legal protections, immigrants are being wrongfully deported to offshore prisons, including in El Salvador, Guantanamo, and Djibouti.
To meet the detention and deportation quotas set by the Trump Administration, it is estimated that the cost of ICE’s operation has exceeded by $1 billion the budget approved for the fiscal year 2025. DHS recently shifted approximately $500 million within its accounts to continue immigration operations and is requesting that Congress allocate at least $2 billion more by the end of September. It is expected that the agency will run out of money by next month, putting DHS at risk of violating federal spending laws.
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