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 attendee 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 medicinal 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 reported 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 charges 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 message the spokesperson highlighted how all detainees are provided a comprehensive overview of biological care processes and services available including specialized care for pregnant women The Basile facility staffs a specialist women s strength 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 diagnostic care or nutritious food the comment reads in part Such alleges are misleading undermine residents trust and misrepresent the reality of the high standards our personnel uphold daily Ozturk a fifth-year doctoral novice studying at Tufts University on a novice visa was apprehended by masked immigration agents in Somerville last month Her arrest came after her visa was revoked over alleged help for Hamas a U S -designated terrorist organization in an op-ed she co-authored in the learner newspaper last year A federal judge has ordered that immigration officers 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 leaders 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 explained 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 biological services including mental physical condition care dental care chronic infection management and crisis rehabilitation 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 declared We take seriously our responsibility to provide accurate information to Congress and the masses Our focus remains on delivering lawful humane medicine to all detainees including pregnant individuals in full compliance with agency initiative and federal law Staff Photo By Matt Stone Boston HeraldICE agent badge Staff Photo By Matt Stone MediaNews Group Boston Herald
