Republican Senate candidate John Deaton got a firsthand look at the controversial U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Burlington on Friday. Those inspections are typically offered to members of Congress.
ICE has come under fire for housing people there in allegedly substandard and cramped conditions, in a facility that was not designed to detain people long term.
Deaton spent about an hour and a half inside ICE’s New England headquarters with a campaign staffer, who ICE also allowed in for the tour.
The candidate said he saw medications for detainees; Ramen noodles and mac and cheese; as well as toothpaste; feminine hygiene products and decent bedding.
“The conditions in there are better than your typical jail. You know, I wrote in my book that I was arrested in Barrington, Rhode Island, and you don’t have a mattress,” he said.
Deaton is challenging U.S. Sen. Ed Markey for his seat in the November election. He said he wanted to inspect conditions inside ICE’s New England headquarters so he’ll be prepared to debate Markey. The two have a debate scheduled for Oct. 13.
Markey is one of several members of Congress who have toured the facility in recent months. The senator called conditions there “deplorable,” and said people are being held there “unlawfully.”
The ICE Boston field office in Burlington, Mass. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)
“Senator Markey has called for ICE to be abolished and has seen with his own eyes, the deplorable conditions of the facilities holding people unlawfully,” campaign spokesperson Jonathan Ng said in a statement Friday. “In the Senate, Ed Markey will continue to fight these injustices.”
Deaton says no to abolishing ICE. Instead, he said, cities and states should cooperate with ICE to help agents arrest people with criminal records.
“That doesn’t mean we don’t reform it,” he said Friday. “That doesn’t mean we don’t make sure there’s proper training and that there’s body cams and that there’s third-party inspections and audits. There’s things we can do to make it better, right? But we’re not going to end it.”
Burlington has been the site of regular protests since revelations that ICE was holding people there for periods longer than 12 hours.
Toni Matloff said she comes every weekday from Saugus to set up a table outside. She and other volunteers offer people water and food as they emerge from the ICE office.
Toni Matloff looks through the items she has to give away at her Compassion Corner table outside the ICE facility. “Having compassion” she says, “that’s all it is.” (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)
After listening to Deaton’s account, Matloff said it doesn’t square with the stories she’s heard from detainees — about a lack of hygiene products, decent food, and healthcare.
“ We know that. We’ve been told that on a personal basis by people that have been held there. Even recently,” she said. “[Deaton] was fed a bunch of lies, and he fell for them.”
Matloff also wonders why Deaton was able to get in.
While sitting senators and House members have oversight authority, it’s unclear why the candidate was given access.
ICE didn’t immediately respond to questions about Deaton’s visit.
The agency has previously said Burlington “has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens.”
This segment aired on October 2, 2026. The audio for this segment is not available.