U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum Demands Answers from Secretary Noem about Potential ICE Detention Center in Woodbury

WASHINGTON, D.C. - On Monday, Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D, MN-04) sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem demanding that DHS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) immediately cease all operations in Minnesota. Additionally, the Congresswoman is seeking prompt answers to nearly a dozen questions concerning DHS's reported search for a potential ICE detention facility in Woodbury.

Read an excerpt of the letter below or click hereto view the full text of the letter on Congresswoman McCollum's website.

"The fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis on January 7 by ICE agent Jonathan Ross is tragic proof that the Trump administration's immigration policy has totally failed our country and is increasing danger for Minnesotans and all Americans. I demand that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) cease all operations in Minnesota immediately to allow local law enforcement officials to return to protecting our community from further violence and conduct a full and transparent investigation into ICE's actions and conduct which caused this horrific shooting.

"My constituents are deeply troubled, and many are fearful of the dramatic chaos and unrest being stoked as a direct result of the Trump administration's tactics of ordering more than 2,000 ICE and DHS agents to Minnesota to racially profile and arrest people in their homes, their workplaces, their schools, and on our streets. The outrageous and unprofessional behavior exhibited by ICE and other federal immigration agencies is not only making our neighborhoods, our cities, and our state more dangerous for everyone, it is making it more difficult for local law enforcement to conduct their daily work to protect and serve our community. Our children have a right to be safe at school, at home, and in our community. As parents and adults, it is our solemn responsibility to protect our children and our neighbors from violence. It is unconscionable this now includes violence perpetrated by our own government.

"Additionally, since December, I have been contacted by constituents and public officials who are deeply concerned about reports in the Washington Post and other publications that ICE is actively soliciting warehouse space to hold as many as 1500 detainees in Woodbury, Minnesota, located in my congressional district, and other communities across the country. Inquiries made to DHS/ICE by local officials have gone unanswered as they seek answers to their many questions about these reported plans.

"According to comments by ICE acting director Todd M. Lyons at a border conference in April, the Trump administration's goal is to deport immigrants like Amazon moves packages: 'Like Prime, but with human beings.' Not only is this plan dehumanizing, it fails to account for the fact that structures designed for storage and shipping are not fit for human habitation, because they lack adequate ventilation and temperature controls."

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