Rep. Jayapal: We’re Here at the ICE Detention Center in Tacoma to Perform Our Congressional Duty and Conduct Oversight

EXCERPT:

JAYAPAL: “Well, I’m just grateful to Congresswoman Randall, the Northwest Detention Center is right in her district, and to Congresswoman Dexter for driving up. I think it is very important for people to understand that it is actually our congressional duty, obligation, to do oversight of detention facilities. It is written into statute. It is absolutely not appropriate for anybody to try and stop us from going into a detention center. These visits do not have to be announced. So we are here to do our oversight duty, to check in on some specific detainees that are here, and also to listen to all of the staff here, as well as the detainees, about the conditions here at the detention center.”