House Judiciary Committee Holds Hearing on Delaney Hall ICE Detention Center

[0:00] Subcommittee will come to order without objection. The chair is authorized to declare a recess [0:05] at any time. Welcome everyone today. Welcome to our hearing on Delaney Hall. [0:11] I am now, we are now going to pledge allegiance to the flag and we will stand for a moment, [0:16] continue to stand for a moment of silence for our fallen service members. Please rise. [0:22] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, to the Republic for which it stands, [0:32] one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. [0:37] Remain standing. Now recognize myself for an opening statement. I want to thank all the witnesses [1:04] for being here. It's always a labor of love and I know it takes time to get here, time to be here, [1:09] time to get back, so we do appreciate all of you. We're here today because of a narrative that has [1:16] been told over and over and over again for weeks. The narrative is that Delaney Hall and by extension [1:25] all of these detention centers are places of cruelty. It's just not true. That the people working there [1:34] are starving, the detainees are hurting, they are being denied medical care, and they're being abused. [1:42] I want to be very direct about this story. It's false. It's not true. It's not accurate. And the [1:51] people telling it know its faults. They have seen the same things that I have seen. I can tell you [1:58] because I've seen them with my own eyes. I walked the facility. I met with the staff, not just the [2:04] routine zipping out. We were there a long time. And what I saw goes against all the narratives that you hear [2:13] and that the Democrats have tried to say about this facility. Detainees there are served three meals [2:19] a day and are evaluated by certified dietitians. I'm just going to go through the list. They have [2:26] access to medical, dental, and mental health care. And if it's something more they can deal with, [2:31] they have cooperative agreements with local hospitals. They get 24-hour emergency care whenever and [2:40] wherever it's needed. And, you know, I'm a dentist. So I got a chance to talk to the dentist. I'm sorry, [2:47] the physician. The dentist I did not get a chance to speak with. Just as an aside, you know, there's [2:53] this sense that, oh, they're not getting good medical care. He went into and he can't show me private [2:58] files, obviously. That's, you know, classified information between a physician and his patient. But told me [3:06] about the people who had diabetes and never knew it. Told me about individuals who had never been to a [3:12] doctor before in their life and finally receiving medical care. People with high blood pressure. [3:19] People with a variety of issues and illnesses that were receiving medications and prescriptions [3:26] for them for the first time ever in their life. The Department of Homeland Security has said plainly [3:34] that I sold these facilities to higher standards than a most American prison. And that's what I saw. [3:41] And I have to tell you again, in my former life as a state senator, I was chairman of the prison gang [3:47] task force, went into every facility in the state of New Jersey, every one of them, the good, the bad, [3:54] and the ugly. And let me tell you, they wish that those facilities look like this facility does. [4:02] Because this facility was far nicer. I originally went hoping it was as good as that, at least. [4:09] It is far better. When members of this very body tore the facility, one of our Democratic colleagues, [4:15] she doesn't want to say it now, but when they were in there, looked and said in her words, it's a quote, [4:21] gee, things aren't bad. That's all I'll say. State health inspectors went into the kitchen and found the [4:27] sanitation and physical conditions satisfactory, free of any sign of vermin. This is the state of New [4:34] Jersey. State health inspectors, very blue state, very Democratic state, sent their health inspectors [4:42] in from the governor's office, and they said everything was good. That's not what they had [4:48] to say about New Jersey prisons, by the way. Despite all of it, weeks of false claims being made by [4:55] Democrats have drawn crowds to Delaney Hall. Crowds have thrown projectiles. They had set fires. They [5:01] blocked law enforcement vehicles. They blocked an ambulance. Officers had been assaulted. More than 80 [5:07] people had to be arrested. This is what false narratives produce, not only here, but in general. [5:15] Chaos outside. Danger for men and women who are really doing their job. They're simply doing what [5:23] has been asked of them, and they are local folks from the city of Newark. It endangers the workers of [5:30] the facility, most of whom, as I said, are Newark residents. So when the mayor of Newark and the governor [5:36] of New Jersey pulls away the police, where sparks anger among protesters, they endanger their own [5:43] citizens. Again, where there is cooperation in many ways among county, state, local, and federal [5:55] officials, we have very few problems anywhere in the country. It's where that cooperation doesn't exist [6:02] that we have problems. ICE is not supposed to be doing crowd control. They should have help. They [6:08] could have help. It's wrong that they don't get the help that they need. Democrats, on the other hand, [6:15] continue to choose the side of illegal immigrants over the American people. Only a few weeks ago, [6:20] they convened a field hearing to give voice to illegal criminal immigrants in detention at Newark. [6:27] And I would ask them, when's the last time they convened a hearing [6:32] for all of the American families across this great country who were victims? The mothers, [6:39] the fathers, the children who lost a loved one to a crime committed by somebody who was in this [6:44] country illegally? When was the last time Democrats offered those families a hearing room? The people [6:51] detained at Delaney Hall are not all random innocents. And, you know, let me say this. I mean, [6:59] for those of us that have sat here through hearings and you've seen children that will never be okay, [7:06] and you've seen parents and families that will never be okay because their child was beaten, was raped, [7:13] was murdered, there are no words for that. We just got to make sure it doesn't happen and it's wrong. [7:21] We knowingly and purposely, not we, but others, let these individuals into our country and they shouldn't have, [7:30] and they should be detained. And by the way, if it's so bad at Delaney Hall, just so you know everybody, [7:38] everybody has the option to self-deport. They will be helped if they want to self-deport. They want to leave, [7:44] it's not good, they don't like the food, they don't like the housing, they don't like the recreation. I didn't even go into, [7:51] by the way, the soccer fields. I didn't go into the gym that is better than, and I, you know, I try to hit [7:56] the gym every day and I've been in a few nice gyms for many, many years. And this was up to any of them, [8:03] any of them, anywhere that I've seen. So why the false narratives? Why would anybody do this? [8:11] I know it's false. I've seen it with my own eyes. The people who are saying the false narratives know [8:17] the truth, but they keep pushing the big lie. And all it does is create chaos. It fuels hostility [8:25] towards law enforcement officers. It creates crime. It creates problem. It separates the country. It [8:30] divides the nation. None of it is good. It should stop. We just want to keep our community safe. [8:38] We don't want more kids to die. We don't want more brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, grandmothers, [8:43] families to be heard. And by the way, there's the hunger strike. Oh, the food's so bad. They're [8:49] making us eat maggots. Look at the food. They've got halal for those that are Islamic [8:55] food. They've got kosher food. They've got, if you have different diseases or illnesses or health [9:02] issues, they've got restricted diets. Anybody in a restricted diet, low-salt diet, et cetera, can get [9:07] what they need there. But there was the hunger strike. We're not eating. We're on a hunger strike. [9:12] We're going to sacrifice. We're not going to eat. What did we find out? I don't know if you all know. [9:17] No, they were eating. They were given money by outside forces. They were going to the commissary, [9:24] and they were getting their potato chips and Twinkies and you name whatever else. And maybe it's [9:30] New Jersey, so they were getting some good New Jersey pizza. I don't know. But they were getting [9:34] plenty of food. And in fact, during that time of the supposed hunger strikes, the population went down [9:42] 13 percent in Delaney Hall. But the food intake at the commissary tripled, tripled. They were eating [9:51] good and they were eating a lot. So nobody's a victim here. Nobody's a sacrificing, self-sacrificial [9:58] person. I don't know if they were eating healthy food. They would have been better off eating the [10:03] food they were supposed to because it was pretty damn healthy. It was a balanced diet. By the way, [10:07] everybody who's got a registered dietitian telling them what they should eat every day, [10:11] raise your hand. They do. They do. Just so you know. I want to thank the witnesses for being here. [10:18] I want to yield back. And now I want to recognize my friend, the ranking member, [10:23] Ms. Crockett, for an opening statement. Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman. And thank you so much to the [10:30] witnesses that are here as well as other colleagues that are sitting in the audience. We're back again [10:37] for another edition of the Republican Party's Great Replacement Theory therapy session, [10:44] where all the white men of the House Judiciary Committee lecture Americans on the importance of [10:49] mass deportations so that they preserve their so-called American values, like shooting and killing [10:56] American citizens who are peacefully protesting, or stuffing hundreds of thousands of people into [11:01] cages without proper nutrition or medical care. But nevertheless, in the time since our last hearing [11:08] on this topic, more than 40 people have died while in ICE custody, of which 30 percent have died at a [11:15] facility run by GEO Group, who happens to be the same private detention contractor that operates [11:23] Delaney Hall. At multiple GEO facilities, individuals report dangerously substandard conditions, including mold, [11:31] various outbreaks, including chicken pox, and insufficient food and water. Facilities operated by GEO [11:38] have failed to comply with ICE's own national detention standards. In fact, on numerous occasions, [11:44] the government found that GEO-run facilities had, quote, incompetent leadership and that, quote, [11:51] problematic medical care was occurring as a result, unquote. GEO has also been admonished by the courts, [11:59] yet the chairman has not called anyone from the company to testify before this subcommittee, [12:05] which is not surprising because they're pouring millions of dollars into Republican campaigns across [12:10] the country. Let us play a game of follow the money, shall we? GEO Group has donated more than one [12:17] million to Donald Trump's Super PAC, nearly one million to Speaker Mike Johnson's Super PAC, [12:23] hundreds of thousands to John Thune's Super PAC. So they spend millions to get Republicans elected [12:30] around the country, and in return, they get federal contracts to operate detention facilities. [12:36] Republicans in Congress ignore the fact that people are dying in their facilities because of [12:41] inhumane conditions and potentially criminal negligence. Also, since our last hearing on this topic, ICE [12:49] agents have killed seven people, including the brutal murders of multiple American citizens. [12:55] This is all occurring while DHS routinely violates federal law. In 2024, Congress passed a law that allows [13:02] members of Congress to visit detention facilities without providing any prior notice. DHS has repeatedly [13:09] violated this law. They have stopped members of Congress from entering detention facilities to conduct [13:15] oversight visits. GEO Group and DHS have not only blocked members of Congress from entering their buildings, [13:24] they have also blocked the state of New Jersey and the city of Newark from conducting their own oversight. [13:30] The governor has called for the facility to be closed. The city of Newark has sued GEO. The New Jersey [13:37] Attorney General successfully sued GEO so that health inspectors must be allowed into the facility. [13:44] So a record number of people are dying in ICE's custody, mainly at facilities operated by GEO, [13:50] and ICE is shooting and killing a record amount of people. Yet again, the chairman has failed to call [13:56] any government official to testify before this subcommittee. No one from ICE, no one from CBP, [14:03] no one from the DOJ, and no one from the White House. So Democratic Democratic members of Congress, [14:11] like Congresswoman LaMonica McIver, have been conducting oversight themselves. In May of 2025, [14:19] Rick McIver was participating in a lawful congressional oversight visit at Delaney Hall with the mayor of Newark [14:26] Newark and other members of Congress. During the visit, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, [14:32] who wants to become the AG, ordered the violent arrest of Newark Mayor Roz Baraka. According to body cam [14:41] footage worn by the violent federal officers, they arrested the mayor, quote, per the Deputy Attorney [14:47] General of the United States. The federal agents also said that they would arrest anyone who would, [14:54] quote, get in their way. The federal agents then violently assaulted the mayor, Rep. McIver, [15:01] Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, and Rep. Menendez. Todd Blanche is now prosecuting Rep. McIver, [15:11] instead of DHS and GEO officials who continue to break the law while a record amount of people are dying [15:17] in their facilities or being shot and killed by DHS agents on the streets in America. This is one of [15:26] the many reasons why Todd Blanche should never become the Attorney General of the United States. Last week, [15:32] during his Senate confirmation hearing, the acting Attorney General said aloud what everyone here [15:39] already knows, that he serves as the president's attorney and not on behalf of the American people. [15:46] Blanche blocked investigations into the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretty. He gave Trump and his [15:52] sons a super pardon that gives them lifelong protection from any investigation, audit, lawsuit, [15:59] or prosecution by any federal agency for any violation of federal law. He created the $2 billion fund to pay [16:08] January 6 insurrectionists for attacking the Capitol. He's protecting the pedophiles and sex traffickers [16:15] in the Epstein files. He's threatening reporters with prosecution. He's lied numerous times to federal [16:20] judges and refused to abide by federal court orders. And just like the Republicans on this committee, [16:27] he's part of the DHS coverup that's using American tax paying dollars to brutalize tens of thousands of [16:37] people even killing them. And when I say people, I'm talking about citizens and otherwise. If the [16:46] Republicans really wanted to know what was happening at Delaney Hall or any other detention facility, [16:52] they would push for unannounced congressional and independent oversight. Since the Republicans claim to be [16:59] Christian, they should be they should open their Bibles and read Ephesians chapter five, verse 11, [17:06] that states, quote, have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. I yield back. [17:15] Thank the ranking member. It was a combination of a speech and a little sermon at the end, right? [17:23] With that, I will ask the chairman of the full committee from the gentleman from Ohio. [17:28] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thanks for this hearing. I want to thank our witnesses for being here. [17:32] The chairman's been there. The chairman talked about the false narrative. He's been there and seen it for himself. [17:38] But the reason the Democrats don't want to talk about anything other than this, some of the things [17:43] brought up by the ranking members in her in her opening statement is because they want to take the [17:48] message away from what they've done. And I've said this in many hearings. I'll continue to say it. [17:54] Step one, let in 10 million illegal migrants in the Biden administration have no border. Step two, [18:02] create sanctuary jurisdictions, which makes it difficult to remove those illegal migrants when they commit [18:08] another crime. And then step three, don't pay the guys, don't fund the guys to do the removing. [18:15] They shut down the government twice, two longest shutdowns in history because they didn't want to [18:20] pay ICE agents, didn't want to pay federal law enforcement to do their job. 18 cities, 11 states, [18:27] three counties and the District of Columbia are sanctuary jurisdictions. That represents almost a third of [18:32] the country where the politicians tell local law enforcement don't work with federal law enforcement when it [18:38] comes to enforcing federal law. That is just dumb. I will continue to say that is stupid. Not letting [18:46] law enforcement work together to protect communities. And we have had witness after witness. One of the [18:53] most powerful ones I've ever seen was Jessica Gorman two weeks ago who came and talked about what happened [18:58] to her daughter in Chicago, student at Loyola University, out for a walk and gets attacked and killed by an [19:05] illegal migrant who committed another crime and was out on bail in that sanctuary jurisdiction. So they [19:12] want to talk about anything else except what's going on. And oh, by the way, these prosecutors [19:17] like Mr. Krasner, Mr. Descano, Alvin Bragg, all these prosecutors who thought not just those three [19:24] steps, let in 10 million, create sanctuary jurisdictions, don't fund the guys who do the removing. [19:30] The fourth step is we're going to treat illegal migrants who commit a crime, we're going to treat them [19:35] better than American citizens who commit the same crime because they all have policies that say [19:40] we will take into account the immigration status, deportation status of the migrant who committed a [19:45] crime when we determine what kind of charges we're going to bring and what kind of plea agreement we're [19:49] going to have. That is ridiculous as well. That is stupid as well. And frankly, I think unconstitutional. [19:54] So that's why we have these hearings to highlight and underscore how ridiculous it is [19:59] in now what represents almost a third of the country in these sanctuary jurisdictions. We have passed [20:05] legislation out of this committee. I hope I hope sometime soon the bill passes the House, [20:11] moves to the Senate and actually becomes law because a third of the country would be much better off [20:15] if we got rid of this concept. And with that again, I thank the chairman for his work for going there [20:20] and for this hearing and we'd yield back. Thank the chairman and I recognize the ranking member. [20:28] Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I want to start by recognizing two of our colleagues in the audience, [20:32] Representative LaMonica MacGyver, who represents New Jersey 10 and Representative Rob Menendez, [20:38] New Jersey 8 were with us today. We're talking about exactly what the majority wants us to talk about [20:47] because they control the agenda. They've called this hearing and we've been responding to them. [20:53] The ambiguous title of today's hearing false narratives surrounding conditions at the Delaney Hall [20:58] ICE detention center naturally invites the question of whether the majority is seeking to debunk false [21:05] narratives or entrench false narratives. One clue is that the title does not refer to facts at all. [21:12] Another is that the majority has neither organized a committee visit to Delaney Hall, which we easily [21:16] could have done, nor even undertaken the basic step of inviting an actual administration witness from [21:22] ICE or the Department of Homeland Security to be with us here today to answer questions from members of [21:28] Congress. That doesn't sound much like an intensive fact based investigation to me. [21:33] ICE and Homeland Security have been concocting false narratives to mask the inhumane conditions at [21:39] Delaney Hall and other ICE detention facilities since Stephen Miller and Donald Trump launched their 2000 [21:46] arrests a day quota onslaught against American communities and immigrants. An entire ecosystem of lies [21:55] corruption now governs at ICE and DHS where hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars were spent by Christie [22:03] Noem on lavish private jets complete with bedrooms and wet bars and narcissistic public relations campaigns [22:13] where no bid government contracts are passed out to mega donors like Mar-a-Lago party gift bags and where obscene [22:21] corruption is stacked on top of obscene cruelty. DHS officials routinely lie to federal judges about [22:30] institutional conditions and practices. They and their lawyers have been caught over 800 times brazenly [22:39] defying court orders and lying to federal judges and magistrates. They are routinely excoriated in court for [22:48] their lawlessness in their betrayal of the legal profession, but with no apparent effect on their [22:53] behavior. American citizens like the people in this room have been held illegally for weeks by ICE. [23:01] American citizens have been beaten, bloodied and killed simply for exercising their first amendment and [23:08] their second amendment rights in a way disfavored by the masked paramilitary forces of ICE. [23:14] The good chairman says, hey, if you don't like the wonderful accommodations at Delaney Hall offered [23:23] by the Department of Homeland Securities, you can just self-deport whenever you want. Actually, [23:31] it's not true. Check out a federal district court decision handed down yesterday, Mr. Chairman. [23:36] On July 21st, in the United States District Court of the District of New Jersey, [23:40] Marlon Andres Torres Gomez versus Luis Soto Warden Delaney Hall. Well, this is a case where a detainee [23:51] of the deluxe accommodations got an agreement to get out on May 12th, May 12th while he was in custody. [24:01] And an immigration judge ordered that his self-deportation be allowed. And then it was set [24:08] for June the 10th. And guess what? He had a plane ticket. He had an agreement with ICE. He had an [24:14] agreement to Delaney Hall. And then they blocked him from leaving the country at the airport, [24:19] brought him back and said he was now in the custody of ICE all over again. Now, [24:24] this district court opinion strikes that down and says it's an absolute violation of habeas corpus [24:30] in the agreement that ICE made. So even if you assume that Delaney Hall has the kind of accommodations [24:37] that Ghislaine Maxwell has down at the prison camp, she was switched to by Todd Blanche when he liked what [24:48] she had to say about Donald Trump's involvement with Epstein files. And then suddenly she got the deluxe [24:54] Trump Hotel treatment, including use of a therapy puppy, room service in her cell and so on. Even [25:01] if you assume that's going on with everybody at Delaney Hall, you can't get out. At least maybe they'll [25:07] change their tune now with this court decision. But we've heard about other cases like this. [25:13] And, you know, one of the officers suggested to me that the reason why there are really bad conditions [25:18] in some of these facilities is because Stephen Miller and Donald Trump want people to leave. [25:24] They don't want them to have their day before an administrative judge and they want to make it [25:28] as miserable as possible for people so they self-deport. And so I leave it to the judgment [25:33] of members of the committee whether that's the way that America should be treating people in this [25:37] situation. Nonetheless, Delaney Hall is a detention facility owned and operated by Geo Group, a private [25:46] for profit prison contractor that is a billion dollar government contract to operate this facility [25:52] for people being held on civil immigration charges. Roughly 90 percent of the 891 people detained at [25:59] Delaney Hall in April had no criminal record by DHS's own accounting. 90 percent had no criminal record [26:07] of the one in 10 detainees who did have a criminal record. The most common offenses were traffic [26:13] violations. In May of this year, 300 detainees launched a hunger and labor strike. They described being [26:19] treated like animals. They and their lawyers reported meals of rotten meat, expired expired meals, [26:25] meals with worms in them. Senator Andy Kim, our former House colleague who conducted unannounced [26:31] oversight visits of the facility, reported seeing milk so spoiled it had curled completely. Detainees [26:38] say the water is foul tasting and undrinkable. People were forced to sleep on floors due to overcrowding, [26:44] and as billions of dollars of taxpayer money are pocketed by corporations in lavish inside contracts, [26:51] detainees experience poor ventilation, extreme cold in winter, scalding showers, physical abuse [26:58] by guards, and a shortage of basic necessities. The medical conditions of detainees are alarming. [27:03] Rita Lynn Harris, a detainee with glaucoma, anemia, high blood pressure, and circulation problems, [27:09] was denied her medications because facility officials called her care cosmetic. Senator Kim met with a [27:15] pregnant detainee who was not receiving appropriate OBGYN care. Another woman received no medical attention [27:23] after she'd had a miscarriage. Delaney Hall is not an isolated case. Across the country, the bureaucratic [27:29] indifference of ICE and extravagant profiteering of its corporate partners create ghastly conditions [27:37] in many cases. In a New Mexico center, a detainee experiencing unbearable dental pain that had been [27:43] left untreated for months despite repeated requests to see a dentist, Mr. Chairman pulled out his own tooth. [27:51] In Texas, the converging indifference of Kristi Noem and the sadistic incompetence of RFK Jr. [27:58] produced an epidemic outbreak of measles at Camp East Montana, ICE's largest detention center in the [28:05] state, which then contributed to the measles pandemic already raging in Texas. According to the Associated [28:12] Press, detainees report that even the most basic care is denied there. A gauze bandage to protect an [28:18] open foot wound, prenatal care for a high-risk pregnancy, a pillow to ease the pain of sleeping [28:25] with advanced stomach cancer, sanitary pads for postpartum bleeding. All of these are complaints [28:31] that have been filed with the facility. Since the administration took office, more than 50 people [28:36] have died in ICE custody. More have died in custody in 2025 than in any year in the last two decades. The [28:44] rate of death in ICE custody is spiking because the conditions are simply worse than they've ever been [28:50] before. ICE and DHS traffic in lawless violence, propaganda, and disinformation to mask all the [28:57] corruption and cruelty which are the daily bread of the system. In Minneapolis, ICE and Border Patrol [29:02] agents shot dead Renee Good and Alex Preddy in broad daylight at point-blank range and then defamed [29:09] both of these innocent Americans, one a mother of three, another a VA nurse, by labeling them domestic [29:17] terrorists. The new regime at DHS under Secretary Mullen. Well, the jury is still out, but we haven't [29:25] seen much change yet. Just weeks ago in Texas, an ICE officer killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a construction [29:32] worker who had lived and worked in America without any incident. No criminal convictions or charges for 35 [29:38] years. Federal law enforcement tried to justify the killing by saying officers found suspicious [29:42] substances in his car. The suspicious substance turned out to be salt. In Maine, just a week later, [29:49] an ICE officer with a history of psychological issues and domestic violence, he threw his 13 year [29:53] old daughter through a glass table fatally shot 26 year old Johan Sebastian Guerrero, the father of a [30:00] three year old girl whom he treated like a princess, according to her mother. At what point do we say enough [30:06] is enough? The government isn't targeting the worst of the worst. It's behaving like the worst of the worst. [30:11] DHS agents are arresting kindergartners, daycare teachers and parents dropping off children at [30:17] school. Roving gangs of officials are abducting children from their beds in the middle of the [30:22] night or using them as bait in order to catch an arrest arrest their frantic parents. DHS is rounding [30:28] up workers with lawful status working at small businesses as roofers, plumbers, landscapers, farmhands and [30:35] nurses. They're arresting refugees who went through stringent vetting to come here and targeting [30:41] immigrants who are following the law by showing up at their court hearings and ICE check ins. At what [30:47] point will we finally say enough to this? This is not America. So my friends, I'm happy to hear about [30:58] what's happening in Delaney Hall. I should think we should do investigations about all of the detention [31:03] centers across the country where people are complaining. But this is a nation that's built [31:08] on immigration, except for the descendants of people who are brought here, kidnapped, abducted, [31:14] and turned into slaves. And except for the Native Americans, all of us are descendants of immigrants. [31:20] And the vast majority of people being held in these facilities are not criminals of any variety. And we [31:27] should get back to the rule of law in America and remember the Statue of Liberty. And remember what Tom [31:32] Payne said when he got here in 1774, he said, if this nation lives up to its values and ideals, [31:39] it will become an asylum to humanity, not an insane asylum, but a place of refuge for people seeking [31:46] freedom from religious and intellectual and political repression from all over the world. [31:51] Let's get back to the America that still lives in our hearts. I yield back to you, Mr. Chairman. [31:54] I respect the ranking member, and I mean it, I do. I don't have the opportunity to respond to all that [32:02] right now because of the rules. But I want to say I thoroughly and robustly disagree with you. [32:08] And I think there's a lot to go through there. But I just do not believe that that is accurate from [32:13] what I have seen with my own eyes. And I'll still put that out there. If anybody wants to get a certified [32:18] lie detector and put me on it, put those folks that said they saw all this on it, and we'll see what happens. [32:25] With that, without objection, all their opening statements will be included in the record. [32:29] We will now introduce today's witnesses, Mr. Andrew R. Arthur. Mr. Arthur is a resident fellow [32:35] in law and policy at the Center for Immigration Studies. He previously served as a staffer to this [32:43] committee, the Oversight Committee, and as an immigration judge with the Department of Justice. [32:49] Mr. Art DeQueto. I said that correctly, right? I thought it. Mr. DeQueto is a border security [32:56] advisor at the Federation for American Immigration Reform. He previously served for more than two [33:02] decades as a border patrol agent. Always good to hear from people on the ground who really have seen [33:09] and heard it. Mr. Scott Murkowski. Mr. Murkowski is a retired law enforcement officer who served more [33:15] than 24 years with what was then called the Immigration and Naturalization Service and U.S. [33:21] Immigration and Customs Enforcement. When he retired, Mr. Murkowski was serving as the Deputy Director of ICE [33:27] in New York City. And Mr. I want to try to say it right. Amal Sinha. Good. Mr. Sinha is the Executive [33:36] Director of the ACLU New Jersey. He previously worked at the Innocence Project and with the New York [33:42] Civil Liberties Union. We will begin by swearing you all in. Please rise. Raise your right hand. Do you [33:55] swear or affirm under penalty of perjury that the testimony you are about to give is true and correct [34:00] to the best of your knowledge, information, and beliefs. So help you God. Thank you. Let the record [34:07] reflect that the witnesses have answered in the affirmative. Thank you and please be seated. Please [34:12] know that your written testimony will be entered into the record in its entirety. Accordingly, we ask [34:17] you summarize your testimony in five minutes. Mr. Murkowski, you may begin. Chairman Van Drew, [34:27] Ranking Member Crockett, and members of the subcommittee, thank you for this opportunity to appear in front of [34:31] you today. For more than 24 years, I served in the federal government with Immigration and Customs [34:36] Enforcement, Legacy Immigration Naturalization Service. I retired as a deputy director in New York [34:44] City in 2018. I ran detention centers during that time in ICE. I personally managed hunger strikes [34:52] in custody in medical emergencies. And I also oversaw correctional facility inspections. I spent more [34:59] than three decades in the U.S. Army, including as a non-commissioned officer in charge of a theater [35:05] internment facility in Camp Cropper, Baghdad. I ran a detention facility in a war zone. So when I tell you [35:15] how a place like Delaney Hall actually works, I'm not theorizing. I'm describing what I did for a living, [35:22] the views that I offer on my own, and they are not of ICE. Let me start with what the critics have been [35:28] driving this hearing will not say out loud. Detention standards are not aspirational. Delaney Hall runs [35:36] under enforceable national detention standards that are inspected, audited, by multiple entities, [35:42] and written down. When a detainee declares a hunger strike, there's nothing left for the officer's [35:49] discretion. It triggers a written protocol. Medical referrals, daily monitoring, weigh-ins, [35:58] a paper trail at every step. The facts are all available to you. They're written down. Congress [36:05] can conduct oversight to reveal the real truth. Instead of manufacturing hoaxes for partisan gain, [36:12] the record will not support the allegations that brought us here today. And I'll start with the [36:18] hunger strike. DHS reported that commissary sales at Delaney Hall nearly tripled while it was supposedly [36:25] underway from $11,500 the week before May 26th to more than $30,000 the week before January 1st. [36:34] People who are starving themselves in protest do not triple commissary spending. It is not a hunger [36:40] strike when the detainee refuses meals at chow time, only stuff his face with hot Cheetos and Twinkies in [36:46] his dormitory at night. Taking overcrowding. When social unrest started outside Delaney Hall, [36:54] the claims of overcrowding fed that false narrative and contributed to the anger. [36:58] Delaney Hall is built for a thousand beds. The population on that day was 766 on May 25th. [37:07] When these claims first serviced, it fell to 521 detainees by June 15th. That's barely half full. [37:16] Take the food. New Jersey State Health Inspection June 8th found the kitchen sanitary, satisfactory, [37:23] no evidence of rodents or vermin. The menu accommodates religious diets. The borders are showed up [37:29] unannounced and ate the same meal served the detainees every day and stated it was fine. Let's take the [37:36] history of Delaney Hall. This building operated as an ICE detention site from 2011 to 2017. New Jersey's [37:44] leaders said nothing. The standards haven't changed. The building hasn't changed. What changed is who sits [37:50] in the White House? The double standard runs deeper. Last year, 33 people died in ICE facilities nationwide. [37:58] In New Jersey's own prisons, an average of 48 die every single year. From 2018 to 2024, yet no one marched [38:07] outside any one of those state prisons. And this is never about conditions at Delaney Hall. And it's not [38:15] about the money because New Jersey has never minded the state collected taking our money. The state has [38:21] collected more than four million dollars fiscally in 2024 to hold criminal aliens in its own department [38:28] of corrections and roughly 5.8 million dollars in state criminal aliens assistance programs. Delaney Hall [38:36] also supports 300 union jobs which brings an estimated 50 million dollars in in the local economy activity. [38:45] And the owners of the facility pay property taxes to the city of Newark. And they're steep. The state [38:51] cashes every single check. Then it drives to the gate for the cameras. And what gets sold to the [38:59] public as a peaceful protest is really nothing else. It's a coordinated activity meant to obstruct [39:04] federal law enforcement and to cease operations. Newark has told its own police not to respond to calls [39:11] of Delaney Hall. The Americans working inside that facility are taxpayers. They live and work in Newark [39:17] in Essex County and are being denied police protection for doing a lawful job. The men and [39:23] women at Delaney Hall enforce the laws that this Congress wrote under the standards strickers in [39:27] any American jail that hold American citizens. They deserve better and that to be used as props. [39:34] So let's do facts. This is a tell on how the critics operate. Senator Booker announced his visit [39:40] on social media. Senator Kim came for a meeting. Congressman Robin Mendez and Congressman [39:45] Watson Coleman turned the anniversary of their own visit into a bill signing and roll out video in [39:51] front of Delaney Hall. Congressman McIver is currently under federal indictment on three counts, [39:58] including two felonies for allegedly assaulted and impeded federal law enforcement officers at this [40:03] facility. Mr. McCoskey, I'm so sorry, but your time has expired. If you can just wrap it up in a [40:07] sentence or two. Yep. Well, I want to take the moment and stop this and say, when you want a moment, [40:14] you bring a podium and a camera. Let's stop with the theatrics and I look forward to your questions. [40:22] Thank you for your service, Mr. McCoskey. Mr. Del Cueto, you may begin. [40:27] Chairman Van Drew, Ranking Member Crockett and members of the subcommittee. Thank you for the [40:35] opportunity to testify today. It is a privilege to be here. My name is Artel Cueto. I spent my career [40:41] on the front lines of immigration enforcement and also served as a corrections officer in the state of Arizona. [40:46] I now am a border security advisor for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, [40:50] and I'm here today because what is happening at Delaney Hall is part of something much larger and far [40:55] more sinister than any facility in Newark. For four years, the Biden administration operated a deliberate [41:00] anti-border policy enabling millions of illegal aliens to enter our country. Between fiscal year 2021 [41:06] and 2024, CBP encountered more than 170,000 illegal aliens with criminal warrants or convictions at our [41:13] borders. On top of that, nearly 2,000 suspected terrorists and over 1.7 million special interest [41:18] aliens from countries posing potential national risks were encountered. Illegal aliens who should have been [41:25] detained in facilities like Delaney Hall and removed were instead released into the American communities. [41:31] The consequences were devastating and could have been avoided. Sheridan Gorman, Jocelyn Nungarai, and Lake [41:37] and Riley, among others, were killed by illegal aliens that should have been in detention facilities [41:43] instead of roaming the streets. And while violent crime is the most visible consequence of illegal [41:49] immigration, it is far from the only one. Illegal immigrants impose considerable costs on every American [41:54] taxpayer, every American renter, and every American worker competing for employment in the sectors most [42:00] affected by illegal alien labor. Not to mention the enormous strain on our public benefits. [42:04] The Trump administration is now working to reverse that damage by strengthening and expanding detention [42:10] capacity. And these efforts are working, which is exactly why these anti-border radicals are [42:15] increasingly desperate. The allegations against Delaney Hall simply do not hold up to the facts. [42:20] During the period when a hunger strike was claimed to be going on, commissary sales at that facility [42:25] surged 161%. White House boarders are Tom Holman visited unannounced and ate the same food as detainees [42:33] and reported they were ordering from the commissary in their cells. The facts are that ICE provides three [42:39] dietician-approved meals a day on-site medical care and access to family and counseling. And it's not only [42:45] activists spreading these lies. It's elected officials and members of Congress. In May 2025, New York Mayor [42:52] Ras Baraka was arrested after attempting to force his way into Delaney Hall facility. Congresswoman [42:58] LaMonica McKeever was also charged following the incident. Many more have repeated their calls to [43:02] abolish ICE. New Jersey Governor Mike Sherrill was forced to acknowledge that the extreme elements in [43:08] these protests and that many of the so-called protesters were not even from New Jersey. In response to her call [43:14] for demonstrators to bring the temperature down, the Democratic Socialists of America, New Jersey chapter, [43:20] and the Climate Revolution Action Network of New Jersey responded by declaring, [43:24] we're going to turn up the noise. The goal of these movements are clear. DSA supports abolishing ICE [43:30] and the end of all immigration detention. New York City Mayor supports abolishing ICE. [43:35] Sitting members of Congress also agree. Make no mistake, the radical anti-border crowd is increasingly [43:41] setting the agenda. These are not reasonable critiques or policy alternatives. They are blatant attacks on [43:46] the U.S. sovereignty and immigration enforcement itself. This type of rhetoric from our elected [43:51] officials not only raises the temperature, it emboldens protesters into confrontations and incites more [43:56] violence. Continuing to liken ICE officers to Nazis will continue to lead to the radical taking matters [44:02] into their own hands. Since the beginning of President Trump's second term, DHS has documented [44:07] 1,300 percent increase in assaults on ICE agents, 3,200 percent increase in vehicular attacks, [44:16] and 8,000 percent increase in death threats. Why are these radical activists and politicians targeting [44:22] Delaney Hall and other detention facilities? It's simple. Detention works. More illegal aliens are [44:28] opting for voluntary departure and border crossings have dropped dramatically since President Trump took over [44:33] office. Without detention, the message to every would-be border crosser is that there are no consequences. [44:39] The smear campaign against Delaney Hall is part of a broader assault on immigration enforcement and on [44:45] the men and women in uniform, like those who I proudly served with in the United States Border Patrol. [44:51] They are tasked with carrying out the job that Congress gave them through their immigration laws. [44:56] I encourage Congress to stand with the men and women of ICE and the men and women of Border Patrol [45:01] and support them in doing their jobs, not incite more violence. Thank you again for this opportunity. [45:06] I look forward to your questions. Thank you for your service. And we will now move to Mr. Arthur. [45:17] Chairman Van Drew, Ranking Member Crockett, Ranking Member Raskett, Mr. Johnson, thank you for inviting me [45:23] here today. First, a confession. I've never been to Delaney Hall and I've never toured the facility to [45:28] assess any of the allegations that have been made about it. That said, for more than eight years, [45:34] including six as a staffer for this committee, I exercised oversight jurisdiction over ICE detention [45:40] facilities and visited many. In addition, I served for an additional eight years as an immigration judge [45:46] at the York County Prison in Pennsylvania, which contracted with ICE for detention space. [45:52] I walked the facility, I ate in the dining hall, and I worked out in the weight room. Consequently, [45:58] I am intimately familiar with how ICE detains aliens and the national detention standards under which it [46:04] operates. As the Third Circuit described it last year, the elephant in the room today is the fact [46:10] that state and local officials in New Jersey oppose immigration detention in the Garden State. [46:16] First, the legislature enacted AB 5207 to prohibit entities there from contracting with ICE to run [46:25] detention facilities. The Third Circuit subsequently concluded that this law is applied to ICE's Elizabeth [46:32] detention facility. It was an improper attempt to, quote, dictate the manner in which the federal [46:37] immigration function is carried out, close quote, in a violation of the doctrine of intergovernmental [46:42] immunity. Such efforts have continued, however, and shortly after GEO announced it would be opening Delaney [46:48] Hall for ICE detention. The mayor vowed to padlock, quote, unquote, the facility and then the city sued GEO, [46:55] complaining Delaney Hall didn't receive proper permits and local officials had been denied access. GEO was [47:02] requested the case be dismissed because ICE wasn't added as a party, but in any event, it appears city inspectors [47:08] have subsequently been allowed access. Nonetheless, in June, the state sued GEO, contending health inspectors, [47:15] had been denied, quote, full access, close quote, to Delaney Hall when they arrived in response to conditions there. [47:21] In response, DOJ complained about the politicization of the issue while also contending ICE has, quote, [47:29] authorized access to the facility for a reasonable and appropriate inspection pursuant to the state's [47:34] written request, close quote. Both cases are ongoing, but key constitutional federal doctrines, [47:41] as I laid out in my written testimony, will govern the court's resolution of each. Most notable is what I [47:48] talked about before, intergovernmental immunity, a principle under which state attempts to regulate [47:53] the federal government directly or state actions that discriminate against the U.S. government or [47:58] those with whom it deals are invalid. While those doctor doctrines may invalidate state action, they [48:04] cannot and should not restrict federal oversight, including and especially congressional oversight. [48:11] Such oversight, as I explained at the outset, was my stock and trade for more than eight years. [48:17] But both my bosses and I were, some of whom are surrounding us today, were always conscious of [48:24] performing it in such a way so as not to impede the very functions that we were investigating. [48:30] That was particularly true when it came to immigration detention. The security of facilities and the safety [48:37] of the officers and detainees therein was always paramount. And I was always willing to comply with [48:43] reasonable restrictions imposed on me when touring the facilities. And I continue to believe, with due [48:49] respect, that is the appropriate policy. Skepticism, of course, is the best policy when conducting [48:55] oversight. And there is always a danger that what Congress is being told isn't the full truth. [49:01] There are, however, numerous safeguards built into the system to ensure that problems aren't hidden [49:06] and the legislative branch is not deceived. By my count, five congressional committees oversee ICE detention. [49:14] To say nothing of the DHS Inspector General, other internal watchdogs, Office of Professional [49:21] Responsibility, etc., the Government Accountability Office, the media, and internal whistleblowers. [49:27] Moreover, ICE's detention standards are contractual and as enforceable as any contract, [49:34] and the agency expects performance. I understand that many oppose immigration detention. But I'll also [49:40] note that the first law passed this Congress was the Lake and Riley Act, which mandated detention [49:47] and empowered the states to sue to ensure it occurs. You can understand why ICE officers in New Jersey [49:54] and elsewhere feel like they're getting whipsawed by this body. Finally, even if local politicians [50:02] successfully forced ICE detention out of New Jersey, that doesn't mean aliens would be released. [50:09] Instead, they'd be sent far away from their families and their lawyers, and that would not make their [50:14] cases or their plights any easier. Again, I thank you for your time and I look forward to your questions [50:21] and I yield back. Thank you, Mr. Arthur. Mr. Siena, you may begin. Chairman Van Deru, Ranking Member Crockett, [50:31] Committee Chair Jordan, Ranking Member Raskin, members of the subcommittee, thank you for the [50:35] opportunity to speak today. My name is Amol Siena. I lead the ACLU of New Jersey. For over 105 years, [50:41] the ACLU has fought against abuses of power and for the civil rights and liberties of all Americans [50:49] under both Democratic and Republican administrations alike. We've represented individuals and institutions [50:55] across the ideological spectrum, recently including a supporter of President Trump's in New Jersey, [51:01] the NRA, Black Lives Matter leaders, students, veterans, and many more, all with one common goal, [51:08] to uphold the promises of the Constitution. I'm here today to share what people in New Jersey and [51:13] across the country are facing at the hands of an agency that has acted with no accountability for far [51:18] too long. In just the past two weeks, two fathers were shot dead by ICE agents. Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was [51:26] gunned down in the streets of Houston. Johann Sebastian Duran Guerrero was killed outside his family's [51:31] apartment in Maine, his three-year-old daughter nearby still in her bluey pajamas. These killings [51:37] happened in broad daylight in front of witnesses with cell phone cameras rolling. And this is what [51:42] happens when the whole country is watching. What confidence can we possibly have behind the locked [51:47] doors of a facility like Delaney Hall? I want to address the premise of this hearing directly. Its title [51:53] suggests that reports of maltreatment at Delaney Hall are a false narrative. That claim does not [51:59] survive contact with the record. The people detained at Delaney Hall have told us in their own words, [52:04] and I quote, they tell us we have no rights here. I met with an individual recently detained there. [52:09] When he arrived, the food smelled so rancid he didn't eat for three days. When he finally ate to avoid [52:15] starving, he was in severe pain. He asked a guard for a doctor. The guard said that he only spoke English [52:22] and couldn't help. It took seven more days for a doctor to finally see him. And by the time he [52:28] was released, the pain was so severe that he ended up in the hospital for a week requiring surgery [52:33] for a serious GI condition that he developed while in detention. I wish I could tell you that his case [52:39] was unusual, but I could sit here and tell you about the man denied his wheelchair for 40 days. The 18 year [52:45] old denied the ability to finish high school on time. The husband who lost so much weight that even lying [52:51] down became physically painful. This is the pattern, the lack of access to medical care, [52:56] the coercion to sign purportedly voluntary departure agreements, the unsanitary conditions and inedible [53:03] food, the broken air conditioning in 100 degree temperatures. Every person I've spoken with, [53:08] every letter that has come out of that facility tells some version of a similar account. When these [53:13] individuals saw no other option, hundreds of them engaged in the hunger and labor strike for weeks [53:19] to call attention to the injustices. And I think we can all agree on a simple truth. No one should [53:26] have to starve themselves for the government to recognize their humanity. In turn, ICE responded [53:33] with pepper spray, solitary confinement and punitive transfers. People are dying at these facilities at an [53:40] alarming rate. More than 50 people have died in ICE custody under this administration, the deadliest [53:45] period on record. John Wilson Brutus died in ICE custody after one day of being detained at Delaney [53:50] Hall. ICE is sending a chilling message to every family in New Jersey and across the country. Being an [53:57] immigrant and exercising your solidarity with immigrants is unsafe. The Trump administration has [54:03] told us repeatedly that ICE is going after the worst criminal offenders and claims that who's detained [54:08] a facility like Delaney Hall are exactly those folks. In fact, this administration's own data undercuts [54:16] that false narrative. Over 70 percent of the people held at Delaney Hall have no criminal history whatsoever. [54:21] Nearly 90 percent have no criminal conviction. Eighty-four percent don't have a final order of removal. [54:27] We're spending billions of taxpayer dollars detaining people who pose no threat to the public, [54:32] while GeoGroup pockets over 60 million dollars a year from Delaney Hall alone. Delaney Hall is not an outlier. [54:38] This year alone there have been at least six other hunger strikes in ICE facilities nationwide. [54:43] When you pour billions of dollars into a detention infrastructure that's already riddled with abuse, [54:48] with no oversight, it comes at a human cost. A people who participated in the hunger strike at [54:54] Delaney Hall put their bodies on the line. We must act now. If this subcommittee is truly concerned [55:00] about the narrative around Delaney Hall, there's a simple fix. End the cover-up by ICE and the GeoGroup. [55:07] If you want the truth about what's happening at Delaney Hall and every facility like it, [55:11] open it up to independent, unannounced, uncensored oversight. Allow the press in. Allow members of [55:17] Congress in. Allow advocacy organizations in for full access. Pass the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act [55:24] and conduct oversight as members of Congress are empowered to do. Thank you, and I look forward to [55:29] your questions. Thank you for your testimony. I will yield five minutes to myself. It's come to my attention, [55:37] Martin Soto. Some of you should know that name. He's the gentleman who led the hunger strike. [55:42] Some folks were making him out to be a hero, the self-sacrificial man who loved America so much, [55:50] and these poor immigrants and so forth. So we have just gotten some information about him, [55:55] and everybody can check this out. It's all accurate. He was a Peruvian national. He was supposedly picked up [56:01] while purchasing some diapers, according to his wife. Well, here's the real deal. The documents that [56:08] was obtained by the committee on February 2nd, Soto was incarcerated at Hudson County Correctional Center [56:17] in Kearney, New Jersey, which is just outside Newark, New Jersey. Soto was arrested by Kearney police [56:23] the previous day on February 1st, 2026 for a charge of domestic violence. He committed assault, [56:30] purposely causing bodily injury, specifically by using his hands open and close to strike his wife in [56:38] the face, causing scratches and cuts to her face and neck. He also placed a hand over her mouth so she [56:45] couldn't scream while she was being beaten. He ain't my hero. It's not what I call a hero. It's the guy who led the [56:52] hunger strike. And that's the point I want to make, man. I just think that folks are on the wrong, [56:58] some folks, my friends to the left, physically and actually I guess philosophically here, I think [57:06] they're on the wrong side of this. I really do. I mean, there are good people and people that aren't [57:12] so good. I'm getting real basic here. Bad people need to be incarcerated. We need to keep good families [57:19] and good people safe. The chairman just, you know, listed a whole number of people we can go through. [57:24] I don't want to bore you of all the families, people just like you, men and women and children [57:30] that have been hurt, lives lost. It's horrible. Why are we, why is it always that the other side [57:40] is on their side? I don't get it. I sincerely, I do not get it. I don't understand it. But for one, [57:48] I'm not going to tolerate it because it's wrong. So I want to just, you know, segue a little bit [57:54] into something else, but it's, it's all related because we all hear all this anti, uh, you know, [58:01] law enforcement, no more ice, no more law enforcement. There are some of those now [58:06] on the other side of the aisle. I'm not saying these folks here, but there are people that want to [58:10] abolish ice completely, want to abolish law enforcement, abolish prisons, [58:14] abolish corrections. Do you all, and I'm going to ask the three of you, and if you want to answer, [58:20] you can too. It's going to be very quick answers because I'm used up a lot of time already. [58:24] The July 20th attack outside 26 Federal Plaza, does that reflect an increasing threat to federal [58:31] immigration facilities and the personnel who work there, who I feel sorry for? In other words, [58:36] these folks are at risk. They're just doing their job. They're the good guys. They're being responsible, [58:41] trying to do their job, and they're at risk of violent attack, in my opinion. Mr. Makowski, [58:46] in a few words. Thank you, Chairman. Yes, 100 percent. Um, everybody knows the 26 Federal Plaza [58:54] houses ice and other federal agencies, and just an example of what we dealt with every day in New [59:00] York City. And we've got people in leadership that fire these people up, that go over there [59:06] and cause all this havoc and hurt other people in law enforcement. I mean, it's hard to be at any level [59:12] of law enforcement these days. It's even hard for the... I spoke to some of the state troopers, [59:17] and they can't say anything on the record. In New Jersey, they were doing a great job. And because [59:22] the left didn't want them there anymore, they were doing a great job, and everybody was working [59:26] together. Ice was safe. They were safe. The people inside were safe. They were pulled away, [59:31] because they didn't want that. Wanted chaos. Mr. Del Cueto. Yes, sir. Absolutely. That and other [59:37] attacks that have also happened at ice facilities in the last several months are a direct result of that. [59:44] The words we use, the inflammatory rhetoric. God help us. Mr. Arthur, quickly. [59:51] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yeah, you know, I will refer back to the 100-year sentence that was handed out [59:56] for the mastermind of the attack at the Alvarado detention facility in Alvarado, Texas. You know, [1:00:02] these are serious crimes. They're a danger. When I served, I was threatened. I could talk about it in [1:00:11] a more private setting if you'd like. But yeah, it's a real problem. It's always been a real problem. [1:00:16] And it's getting worse. It's getting worse. Yep. Mr. Seenha, quickly, just to show I'm fair. [1:00:23] Chairman, look, whenever somebody conducts a violent act, they were held accountable by the [1:00:28] criminal legal system. I don't think it has to do with the words being used. I don't, [1:00:33] forgive me, but I don't believe that. I believe politics enters into it. I don't think they're [1:00:37] always held liable. It depends where the process takes place. And in some of these blue cities and [1:00:44] blue localities, they're not held responsible. And they're made out to be heroes. Violence [1:00:51] against law enforcement has become popular. And it's wrong. And I'm tired of it. I think most Americans [1:00:59] are too. And I'm over my time. With that, I will... Ranking Member, remind me who's... Yes, Mr. Johnson. [1:01:07] Mr. Johnson, the gentleman from Georgia. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I think Americans are getting tired [1:01:12] of seeing each other shot down in the streets by rogue, renegade, reckless ICE agents. And this hearing [1:01:23] is entitled, False Narratives Surrounding Conditions at the Delaney Hall ICE Detention Center. That was the [1:01:31] topic of the discussion today. What we got from Mr. Arthur is a dissertation on the restrictions on state [1:01:41] regulation of federal functions. I'm going to read your paper tonight as I put myself to sleep. [1:01:49] Thank you, Mr. Johnson. And then not a single witness in here has testified that [1:01:56] that it's false that, you know, what's happening at Delaney Hall are overcrowded cells crammed with [1:02:08] inmates. Not a single Republican witness refuted that. Not a single Republican witness commented about [1:02:17] about the denial of access to toilets and clean drinking water at Delaney Hall. Nobody talked about [1:02:27] food being adulterated and unedible at Delaney Hall. Not a single Republican MAGA witness testified [1:02:37] about the denial of medical care to detainees. And so the only person who testified about that was Mr. [1:02:47] Sinha, and he told us of the horrors of what's going on inside Delaney Hall. And I suspect that [1:02:58] the chairman, when he took his visit, he announced ahead of time that he was going. And so what did they do? [1:03:05] They rolled out the red carpet for him and showed him exactly what they wanted him to see. And then [1:03:11] probably fed him a steak dinner afterwards with a glass of champagne and a cigar. And so today, [1:03:18] he is here to tell you about what's going on at Delaney Hall. But I would, I would exclaim to you that [1:03:27] perhaps you should call my colleague LaMonica MacGyver, who is sitting here with us today, [1:03:33] about six or seven months pregnant, she and her husband expecting their second child, [1:03:39] having to go through the trauma of a persecution by the Trump Justice Department, Todd Blanche Justice [1:03:50] Department. But she's here. She's been on unannounced visits. And she could tell you exactly [1:03:56] what's happening at Delaney Hall. She could back up what Mr. Sinha has, has said. But let me ask you, [1:04:07] Mr. Murchowski, you've never worked for a for-profit corporation that runs for-profit detention [1:04:19] facilities, have you? Congressman, thanks for the question. Have you? Yes or no? No. And, [1:04:26] um, and when's the last time you visited Delaney Hall? When Delaney, before I retired, sir, [1:04:33] before it closed in 2017. That's been what? I don't know if you heard me. Almost 10 years ago. [1:04:39] What about you, uh, Mr. Del Sueto? When's the last time you visited, uh, Delaney Hall? Del Cueto, [1:04:47] sir. Del Cueto, I'm sorry. I have not visited Delaney Hall. Never in your life? No, sir. But I have [1:04:53] been at various different immigration facilities that have detained people. You have no personal [1:04:58] knowledge upon which to reasonably conclude that the reports about cruel and inhumane [1:05:05] and unusual or not unusual, uh, at Trump ICE facilities, you have no, uh, personal knowledge [1:05:13] upon which you can reasonably conclude that what Mr. Sinha has reported about the conditions [1:05:20] at Delaney Hall are true or false. Isn't that correct? My personal knowledge would be from seeing [1:05:25] other immigration detention facilities throughout my career. You've never been to Delaney Hall, though. [1:05:31] I haven't, but I've been to numerous other immigration detention facilities. What you saw at, [1:05:35] uh, your detention facilities, were those public or private, by the way? They were both. You've always [1:05:40] worked for public, uh, no, sir. They were both private and public as well as state-run facilities. But you [1:05:46] don't know what's going on at Delaney Hall. Let me ask Mr. Sinha. Mr. Sinha, can you tell us more about, [1:05:54] uh, the 50 people who have died in ICE custody, uh, since Trump returned to office? And can you [1:06:03] opine on the fact that 2026 is already the deadliest year in immigration detention since the Department of [1:06:11] Homeland Security was founded? Thank you for the question, uh, Congressman. I'll let you answer that [1:06:18] question and then the gentleman's time is expired. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh, the, uh, the number of [1:06:26] deaths is disproportionate to even the increase of, uh, detention in this country. About the, the number [1:06:32] of people detained, uh, across the country has increased by 77 percent. And also, uh, the deaths in [1:06:39] custody have detained, have increased by 300 percent. Um, so we're talking about a radical increase in the [1:06:46] number of people that are being, uh, that are killed, uh, or dying in, uh, while detained in, [1:06:52] in immigration detention. That's right. It's a, it's a shame that we are allowing that. Now, [1:07:00] GEO group group. Gentlemen, gentlemen's time is expired. But they were not called. And, uh, nor were [1:07:07] ICE or Customs and Border Patrol, Customs and Border Protection. The gentleman's time is expired. Nobody called. [1:07:13] Just, uh, three guys with no personal knowledge. With that, I yield back. I thank the gentleman. [1:07:19] I definitely did not get a red carpet, a cigar, champagne, or a steak dinner. But, Hank, you should [1:07:25] probably do all that for me, all the aggravation you give me on this committee. With that, I ask the [1:07:31] gentleman, the chairman from the great state of Ohio. Mr. Mikowski, is it easier to pick up a criminal on the [1:07:38] street or at the detention center? Congressman, thank you, um, for the question. Um, it's always [1:07:47] safer, uh, facility to facility. Yeah, it is, is, is, but that's what sanctuary jurisdiction is all [1:07:52] about. You got a detainer notice. Federal government, federal law enforcement knows that the [1:07:58] migrant in the detention center, the local detention center entered the country illegally, [1:08:02] but has, has been alleged to commit some other crime. But there's a, there's a detainer notice. [1:08:07] Hold that guy. Let us come get him there instead of out on the street, right? [1:08:11] Yes, Congressman. Yeah. And I mean, in just simple terms, I, I used the term earlier, [1:08:16] but I don't know what anyone better. This is like really just, do you think it's a dumb policy, [1:08:20] sanctuary jurisdiction? Do you think it's just a dumb policy that these local jurisdictions have? [1:08:23] I think it's absurd. Mr. Del Cueto? I believe it creates a magnet for criminal [1:08:31] behavior in our country. Yeah. Mr. Arthur, what, what do you think? Think it's a bad idea? [1:08:34] It's a horrible idea. And when I started in immigration in the, uh, mid nineties, [1:08:39] there were maybe a handful of, uh, sanctuary jurisdictions, but every cop wanted to, [1:08:45] every police department wanted to hand criminals over to the INS to get them off of the streets. [1:08:50] So the sanctuary jurisdictions create tension between federal state and local law enforcement [1:08:57] without a doubt. Yeah. Mr. Del Cueto. Absolutely. It does. [1:09:02] Mr. McCoskey. Absolutely. Just look at New Jersey. He's a great example of that. Yeah. And, [1:09:07] and that doesn't help. All of this doesn't help. And I think some of you already talked about the [1:09:12] safety concerns for law enforcement, for the public, and frankly, for the migrant, right? [1:09:21] Jeopardizing the safety of everyone when you have these policies in place. You all agree with that? [1:09:30] Yeah. Yes, Congressman. And yet we have, again, we did the research, almost a third of the country, [1:09:35] 31 and a half percent of the country, because you've got 18 big blue cities, 18 big, or 11 big blue [1:09:40] states. You have this thing. And we've actually seen it play out. Denver, Colorado, illegal migrant [1:09:46] who had committed another crime in the detention center. The notice gets sent to the detention center. [1:09:50] Will you hold this migrant until we get there? They stamp on the form. No, we're going to release [1:09:55] him to the streets, release him to the streets. An ICE agent was hurt while apprehending this [1:09:59] individual on the street. Again, just ridiculous. Didn't need to happen. So again, we're going to keep [1:10:06] talking about this. Oh, and the real concern too is that the ICE agent was hurt there, but the [1:10:11] situations where it could have been prevented, the person is released to the streets and then they go [1:10:18] harm, in some cases, kill American citizens. And frankly, if that happens in over in Fairfax County, [1:10:26] Mr. Descano will take into account the person's immigration status. It's right in his policy when [1:10:32] deciding what to charge that individual with. Just adding insult to injury, adding dumbness on top of [1:10:39] dumbness. I mean, it's just like, that is crazy. So this is something that just has to change in [1:10:44] the country. We talk about having safer streets and everything else for the public. This is just, [1:10:48] it's just so, so wrong. And I think it's all part of the left's plan. Let in 10 million, as I said [1:10:56] earlier, create sanctuary jurisdictions. Don't fund people like Mr. Mikowski, ICE agents who go out there [1:11:01] and enforce the law and then have prosecutors who do their ridiculous charging and plea bargain decisions [1:11:08] and create this unsafe environment. That is what the left wants today. And that's what they're [1:11:12] carrying out. And again, it makes absolutely no sense. I want to thank the chairman for his good [1:11:19] work on overseeing this and calling attention to what's going on at Delaney Center, where the left [1:11:24] has said all these terrible things are happening, but he's visited there and just hasn't seen it. [1:11:29] And I'll yield the last minute back to the chairman of the subcommittee for any questions or comments he has. [1:11:34] I want to thank you. And I think the chairman of the full committee makes a good point. [1:11:41] And really to focus in, in plain English, what people, so they understand it. Because we have [1:11:48] sanctuary cities, states, jurisdictions, we let people out onto the streets, some of whom are violent, [1:11:56] dangerous felons get out. We don't cooperate with ICE. Therefore, ICE finds itself in the middle of [1:12:04] dangerous situations where the illegal can get hurt, they can get hurt, or just people that are involved [1:12:12] can get hurt. That's where the real fault is. If we did everything the right way, which you all are [1:12:18] willing to do, we wouldn't have the issue. And quite frankly, that's why so many of the problems [1:12:24] are in blue jurisdictions. We should have never let these people out. And I also would say Delaney Hall [1:12:30] are not just a bunch of nice people. There may be some in there who aren't felons, but there are [1:12:36] absolutely felons, drug dealers, rapists, violent people that are held there. We don't want them [1:12:43] outside. And also, by the way, speaking about the conditions there, the inspector general in New [1:12:51] Jersey inspected the facilities, the state facilities in New Jersey, far worse. They have to stand while [1:12:59] they eat. Crowded conditions, temperatures that go into the 90s. But nobody says anything about them [1:13:06] because it's a blue jurisdiction. It just isn't fair. And what's good for one should be good for the other. [1:13:12] With that, I have a few UCs that I want to put in for the record from some local media. Delaney Hall menu [1:13:20] options. Delaney Hall's menu options better than many Jersey school lunch choices. Fajitas, stir-fry, [1:13:27] barbecue chicken. See the food options provided to Delaney Hall. That was nj.com. This is the New York Post. [1:13:36] Inspectors finally got into the kitchen at ICE's Delaney Hall. Here's what they found. And a detail is [1:13:42] the good conditions there. It's also newjersey.com. The final test borders are Tom Holman ate the same [1:13:49] meal as the detainees ate, and he did just fine. Delaney Hall snack purchases cast doubt on what was [1:13:58] supposed to be a real hunger strike in reports. And that was also, I believe, I'm trying to see what [1:14:08] that was. Fox News. Fox News. Thank you. Okay. With that being said, I think we are next. I'm going to [1:14:15] recognize the ranking member of the full committee. Thank you kindly, Mr. Chairman. I think you just went [1:14:20] over two minutes and 25 seconds, so I'd appreciate a similar courtesy for myself. That means he's going [1:14:24] to talk a lot. You've translated properly. Look, there's some things that we can all agree on here. [1:14:33] We should take violent attacks on the police extremely seriously and reject it in every [1:14:38] circumstance. Mr. McCaskey, you've spoken passionately against violent assault on the police. Do you think [1:14:44] it's a good idea to pardon felons convicted of violently assaulting police officers without looking at their [1:14:50] individual criminal record or the threat that they may still pose to society? I'm sorry, Congressman, [1:14:58] can you just repeat the question? Do you think it's a good idea to pardon convicted felons who were [1:15:03] convicted of violently assaulting police officers without consulting either their prior criminal history [1:15:09] or the chances that they will reoffend? Um, sir, that's up to the courts. I don't. Do you have no position on [1:15:17] that? How about you, Mr. Del Quote? Do you think that's a good idea? That would be up to the court, [1:15:21] sir. And it would be possibly a case by case basis. Okay, Mr. Arthur, what do you think about that? [1:15:27] Because it's a pardon, it's not actually up to the courts. It would be up to the executive in the [1:15:32] state. Normally, I would argue against that. But I also think I know where your question's going. So [1:15:37] yes, I would I would oppose. All right, Mr. Senna, what do you think about pardoning violent offenders [1:15:43] who attack the police, brutalizing them in many cases without consulting their prior criminal history [1:15:50] or the chances that they'll reoffend? I think there has to be a thorough review of the facts [1:15:55] of a certain person's individualized review or just in general? Individualized review. You know, [1:16:01] I agree with clemency as a tool and the executives should use clemency frequently, but there has to be [1:16:08] a review. The chairman said violence against law enforcement is wrong. I'm sick of it and we can't [1:16:12] tolerate it. And I agree with that. But President Trump pardoned more than 1500 people, hundreds of [1:16:17] whom had violently assaulted our police officers, brutalizing them, injuring them, giving them [1:16:23] traumatic brain injuries, concussions, heart attacks, strokes, without looking at a single one's [1:16:28] individualized records, just pardoning them, all of them en masse. And guess what? 97 of them have [1:16:34] already gone on to reoffend today. They've been convicted of, so far, child sexual assault, home [1:16:41] invasion, production of child pornography, conspiracy to murder an FBI agent, kidnapping, reckless homicide, [1:16:47] domestic violence by strangulation, stalking, drug trafficking, burglary, and a lot more. I don't have [1:16:53] time to get into all of them. One guy, Andrew Paul Johnson, this guy was still in prison. Trump pardoned [1:16:59] and gave him clemency. He got out of prison and a few weeks later went and sexually assaulted a 12 [1:17:05] year old boy and a 12 year old girl and then tried to stop them from reporting him by saying he would [1:17:10] give them some of the money that he gets from Donald Trump because he's Jay Sixler and they're all going [1:17:15] to get millions of dollars. So just to give you a sense of what's going on there. So for those people [1:17:20] who are categorically denouncing violence against the police, I'd like you guys to take that to heart [1:17:25] and talk to some of the capital officers who are protecting us here today. You'll see them on your [1:17:30] way out. Well, look, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was a 52 year old construction worker, an immigrant who [1:17:37] lived in Houston for 35 years. He had no criminal record, no charges, no arrests. On July 7th, he left [1:17:43] home to pick up his brother and two coworkers to go work at a construction site of an American business. [1:17:48] ICE agents in two unmarked cars looking for someone else saw him and without turning on any lights, [1:17:56] or without any indication of who they were, began chasing his van. So they surrounded his vehicle [1:18:03] and attempted to force him off the road. Moments later, an ICE agent who was not wearing a body [1:18:08] camera fired through Mr. Salgado's passenger side window, killing the father of three. Mr. Salgado had [1:18:17] no record. He was not subject to a detention order. He's trying to go to work. Now, Mr. Mikowski, [1:18:23] you worked for ICE. You trained officers. Is it ever acceptable for ICE agents to pursue a vehicle [1:18:28] in an unmarked car without using their lights or sirens? Do you know the rules on that? [1:18:34] Sir, so since I retired, policies may have changed, but I don't believe the policy pursuits were allowed. [1:18:43] Yeah, it's in the ICE field manual. I've got the regulation right here, 8 CFR 287.8, saying that [1:18:50] a designated pursuit vehicle is defined only as a vehicle equipped with emergency lights and siren [1:18:55] placed in or on the vehicle that emit audible and visual signals. They didn't have that. And now [1:19:00] this father of three is dead. Six days later, uh, Johann Sebastian Duran Guerrero, a 26-year-old father, [1:19:08] left his home across the country and bid afford Maine to go to work to support his young family. He didn't [1:19:13] get far. ICE agents driving an unmarked SUV rammed his vehicle, surrounded his car with guns drawn and [1:19:19] shot him in the head in front of his three-year-old daughter. And again, they weren't looking for him. [1:19:25] They were going to look for somebody else, but they saw him and then chased him down and shot him in [1:19:30] front of his daughter. She watched as ICE agents handcuffed her father's lifeless body to the steering [1:19:36] wheel. The agent who killed him wasn't wearing a body camera. What's more, he had a history of serious [1:19:43] domestic violence, and he'd been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He once threw boiling water in [1:19:50] the face of his ex-wife, his first wife, while she was holding their child. His wife testified that he [1:19:56] was a danger to the society, and yet he was armed and deputized by ICE to go out and terrify people. [1:20:05] Mr Del Cuito, you served as a Border Patrol agent for 20 years. Should DHS be doing a background check screen [1:20:13] for a history of domestic violence and psychiatric illness? They do thorough background investigations. [1:20:19] If something doesn't get reported, however, that's— Wait, no, my question is, should they do one? [1:20:25] They do one already. No, they did not do one in this case. It did not happen. So that did not happen, [1:20:31] but it should happen. But it is typical now of ICE's hiring practices. Bring everybody in, [1:20:37] just like Donald Trump's parties. We don't care really what your background is. [1:20:40] And clothe you with the power of the federal government, turning our society upside down, [1:20:46] turning Americans against each other, and having our officers shoot our people, [1:20:53] like Alex Preddy and Renee Goode, dead at point-blank range in the streets of America. [1:20:58] That's what this has led to. I yield back to you, Mr Chairman. [1:21:02] Thank you, gentlemen. And I ask—I recognize the ranking member of the subcommittee. [1:21:07] Thank you so much, Mr Chairman. I just want to clarify one thing, [1:21:10] because there is this perception that is consistently put out there that if you are a Democrat, [1:21:14] you are anti-law enforcement, that you are against the police. We are not anti-law enforcement. [1:21:19] In fact, this weekend, I will be speaking at a national convention for law enforcement. [1:21:25] So let me be clear about something. The most pro-law enforcement thing that you could ever do [1:21:30] is making sure that the bad apples are absolutely treated as that, because bad officers make good [1:21:37] officers look terrible. And that is why real law enforcement has no problems when Democrats decide [1:21:44] that they actually want to crack down and recognize that even law enforcement officers can commit crimes. [1:21:50] Because the last time I checked, I don't understand who should be allowed to gun somebody down [1:21:55] in the middle of the street, not armed, and seemingly just has a little bit of melanin. [1:22:02] And when it comes to Alex Preddy and Renee Good, that wasn't even the reasons. It was the fact [1:22:08] that they had the audacity to stand for people that had melanin. So, excuse me, but we are not [1:22:13] anti-law enforcement. Let's put that on the record. Secondly, I want to deal with something that the [1:22:18] ranking member opened up with earlier when he talked about Ghislaine Maxwell. The reality is that [1:22:23] Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted by a jury of her peers and sentenced to 20 years in a federal prison. [1:22:30] Yet somehow Ghislaine Maxwell has more privileges than people who aren't accused of going out and [1:22:36] sexually assaulting children. This is why we have a problem, because it seems like our colleagues on [1:22:42] the other side of the aisle continue to want to protect pedophiles, while at the same time going [1:22:48] after people, most of them, who have come to this country seeking a better life, seeking the America [1:22:53] that we sell to the rest of the world, which is the land of opportunity and the land of the free. [1:22:58] That is what we have sold the world on, yet seemingly that's not what's happening when they arrive, [1:23:03] when they say that in their country there is something that is causing them to need to seek [1:23:08] asylum from the harms that are taking place in their countries. Now, let me get to my official [1:23:13] remarks before we have to go vote. It seems like those super PAC bands are making these Republicans dance. [1:23:19] Isn't it interesting that thousands of white people storming the U.S. Capitol and beating police officers [1:23:25] made it home safely. But brown people posing no threat to ICE agents are suddenly killed in cold [1:23:30] blood. The government pardoned those January 6 rioters, yet the same government is now calling the [1:23:35] non-white people, most of whom have no criminal record, quote, terrorists and criminals. Mr. Sinha, [1:23:42] why do you think this is? Thank you for the question, ranking member Crockett. Look, [1:23:47] and I know you can talk forever, but just give me a little something. Look, I think every legal system, [1:23:53] every criminal, the criminal legal system, the immigration system is rife with racial injustice. [1:23:58] We are seeing it play out in the streets every single day. People of color are being targeted unfairly [1:24:03] and unjustly, while those with those who are white and those who have money are being let off the hook [1:24:11] repeatedly. That's that's been the story of America. That's been the story throughout our nation's history. [1:24:16] And it's a story that continues today. Thank you so much. To the best of your knowledge, [1:24:20] did any of the protesters at Delaney Hall brutally beat police officers with steel pipes? No. [1:24:28] What about spraying police officers with bear spray? No. What about tasing officers in the neck [1:24:34] or stomping their heads? No. Who would you rather live next to? One of the thousands of immigrants [1:24:40] without criminal records, but are being targeted by ICE or someone like David Daniel, a Trump supporter, [1:24:45] who was pardoned, but was found to be in possession of child pornography and charged [1:24:49] with sexual exploitation of a minor? I would rather live next to one of the thousand immigrants. [1:24:55] Now, this Justice Department has taken the unprecedented step by criminally charging Congresswoman [1:25:00] McIver. Why do you think the Republicans in Congress are louder about nonviolent immigrants without [1:25:06] criminal records, but silent about the executive branch prosecuting a member of the legislative branch [1:25:11] for conducting legitimate legislative business? Thank you for bringing up the case against Ms. McIver. [1:25:16] Look, every single member of Congress should be outraged by what's happening to her, [1:25:20] regardless of party, because they are going after a Congresswoman for doing her job. And that's [1:25:27] why we at the ACLU had filed an amicus brief in support of her and calling for the charges to be [1:25:33] dropped. They are going after a sitting Congresswoman for doing her job and nothing else. And we're going to [1:25:40] continue fighting for her. Thank you. My next question was about your amicus brief, but I'll move on now, [1:25:45] because you already brought it up. We've already established in this hearing, not just in this [1:25:53] hearing. But honestly, the American people are not crazy. The American people are outraged. They're [1:25:59] trying to pretend as if people are just going to Delaney Hall. And it's simply because Delaney Hall is [1:26:05] just, I don't know, the victim in this particular set of circumstances. But no one today, as we've gone [1:26:11] through this hearing, has decided to say the name of John Brutus, a 41 year old asylum seeker from Haiti. And [1:26:20] for those that don't know the history of what was going on in Haiti, but there was a brutal overtaking [1:26:25] of the government in Haiti, they actually had gang members that actually went in and and brutally [1:26:33] murdered their leader. There's a safety. Give me two things. There's a safety issue that has taken [1:26:39] place in Haiti. So here was he was an asylum seeker. December 12 2025. He ended up dying in Delaney Hall. [1:26:48] He had only been in Delaney Hall for one day. So while some may want to pretend as if there's nothing [1:26:54] to see. In fact, we should have had a hearing that would have allowed us to get to the bottom of and [1:27:00] potentially seek justice and make sure that other people don't die in our custody in an unwarranted [1:27:06] and unlawful way. That is what I want to do, Mr. Chairman. And I hope that we can move forward [1:27:11] with making sure that anyone who is taken into our immigration system, [1:27:17] that they are taken in and they are given their day in court and they get due process, [1:27:21] but their constitutional rights are not violated. Thank you. And I'll yield. [1:27:26] Thank the ranking member. And that concludes today's hearing. We thank our witnesses for [1:27:30] appearing before the subcommittee. And I mean that it's a lot of work. Sit here, hear us all talk. [1:27:36] Thank you. Appreciate you. Without objection, all members will have five legislative days to submit [1:27:42] additional written questions for the witnesses or additional materials for the record. And without [1:27:47] objection, this hearing is adjourned.