MCFARLAND, Calif. (KFSN) — U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla and U.S. Rep. Jim Costa made an unannounced visit Monday to Golden State Annex in McFarland, saying they wanted to inspect conditions inside the ICE detention facility amid what they described as increased immigration enforcement activity across California.
The lawmakers said immigration enforcement has surged in recent weeks and that they wanted to observe conditions firsthand at the facility.
“I’ve lived in this valley all my life… I’ve never, never seen the level of fear that we see today over the last two years,” Costa said.
Padilla and Costa spent about 50 minutes at the facility before leaving. They said a supervisor at Golden State Annex, which is operated by the private company GEO Group, told them ICE staff from Fresno needed to be present before access could be granted and that their arrival could take at least a couple of hours.
“It’s unacceptable, and it’s insulting. For members of Congress trying to do our job, he could not point to a section of the law. He could not point to a section of their contract that prohibited him from granting us access so we could do our job,” Padilla said.
The lawmakers noted that ICE inspectors visited Golden State Annex in June after receiving four weeks’ notice. According to the inspection report, inspectors identified seven issues at the facility, including a detainee with a fractured foot who waited about six weeks for an X-ray.
The report also found that none of the 18 detainees interviewed alleged discrimination, mistreatment or abuse. The facility’s rating improved this year to “Good.”
“There was a lot of questions we were ready to ask. The question we’re leaving with is, what do they have to hide?” Padilla said.
Padilla said this was not the first time he has been denied access to an ICE facility and that he plans to return. He said he has not yet decided whether his next visit will be announced.
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