Democrats Demand Documents from Kristi Noem After Record 53 Deaths in ICE & CBP Custody on Her Watch
“More people died in ICE custody last year than in any of the past twenty years”
(WASHINGTON) – Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, led Committee Democrats in sending a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem demanding that she ensure Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) avoid preventable deaths of people in their custody after 53 people have tragically died in ICE or CBP custody
on her watch.
Letter excerpt:
“It is obvious yet tragic that ICE is unwilling or unable to provide basic care for detainees. ICE
stopped paying its third-party medical providers for detainee care in October of last year. At the same time, DHS has not demonstrated that its attempts to hire more medical personnel to fill critical shortages have been fruitful,” the Members wrote.
“Despite the fact that a lack of medical personnel at detention facilities “may increase the risk of inadequate medical care” and evidence that low medical staffing levels lead to preventable deaths, the Trump administration has spent the year terrorizing American communities by conducting indiscriminate roundups of immigrants who will be sent to facilities that are incapable of providing proper medical care. DHS also has gutted its internal detention oversight offices, and ICE is evading congressional oversight by barring Members of Congress from conducting unannounced inspections of detention facilities.”
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