Massachusetts delegation slammed for ‘baseless’ comments after trip to Louisiana ICE center
Federal immigration authorities are blasting members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation who visited college students at a Louisiana detention facility for spreading baseless accusations U S Sen Ed Markey and Reps Ayanna Pressley and Jim McGovern argue that Tufts University learner Rumeysa Ozturk s human rights are being violated at a U S Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center they visited last week The Democrats spoke of the harrowing conditions that Ozturk and other foreign nationals are dealing with at the facility in Basile a small rural town in southern Louisiana after they landed at Logan Airport in Boston They argued that the detainees they met with are being denied adequate physiological care subjected to sleep deprivation not well fed and are not routinely provided with necessities like toilet paper or blankets to sleep with It was heartbreaking and it is enraging Pressley disclosed at a news conference last Wednesday They are humiliated daily degraded and denied the basic necessities needed by any human being The delegation also accused federal agents of depriving care to pregnant women at the facility An ICE spokesperson has responded to the statements saying they are not only baseless but appear to be a deliberate attempt to discredit the dedicated professionals who uphold ICE s mission with integrity and care In a declaration the spokesperson highlighted how all detainees are provided a comprehensive overview of anatomical care processes and services available including specialized care for pregnant women The Basile facility staffs a specialist women s wellbeing specialist the spokesperson added U S Immigration and Customs Enforcement categorically rejects the false narrative that individuals in our custody are denied access to adequate clinical care or nutritious food the message reads in part Such declares are misleading undermine masses trust and misrepresent the reality of the high standards our personnel uphold daily Ozturk a fifth-year doctoral trainee studying at Tufts University on a pupil visa was apprehended by masked immigration agents in Somerville last month Her arrest came after her visa was revoked over alleged encouragement for Hamas a U S -designated terrorist organization in an op-ed she co-authored in the candidate newspaper last year A federal judge has ordered that immigration administrators must take Ozturk to Vermont by May Ozturk has not been charged with any crime and has remained in Louisiana since the day after her apprehension Lawmakers have argued Ozturk was locked up in Louisiana so that immigration bureaucrats could find a more favorable court The Trump administration has maintained that there was not adequate space to house her in New England In a declaration earlier this month Ozturk described that her asthma had been triggered by overcrowding in a holding cell filled with unsanitary unsafe and inhumane conditions There is a mouse in our cell Ozturk revealed The boxes they provide for our clothing are very dirty and they don t give us adequate hygiene supplies The ICE spokesperson has countered that detainees have access to medicinal services including mental soundness care dental care chronic affection management and urgency therapy Mellissa Harper director of ICE s field office in New Orleans also took exception to the delegation for allegedly arriving at the Basile facility accompanied by ACLU staff and media who filmed ICE personnel without consent jeopardizing their privacy and safety These tactics do nothing but endanger hardworking Americans she mentioned We take seriously our responsibility to provide accurate information to Congress and the masses Our focus remains on delivering lawful humane healing to all detainees including pregnant individuals in full compliance with agency agenda and federal law Staff Photo By Matt Stone Boston HeraldICE agent badge Staff Photo By Matt Stone MediaNews Group Boston Herald
