Rep. Christian Menefee, who represents Texas’ 18th Congressional District, said he visited an ICE detention center in the Greenspoint area over the weekend.
Menefee said he went to the Houston Contract Detention Facility, which is operated by CoreCivic and is under contract with the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Menefee went on to say that some of the people at the detention center were long-term residents who contribute to society.
“(President Donald) Trump promised the American people he was going after violent criminals,” Menefee said. “But hundreds of people at this facility are simply not that. They are members of our community, being held in incarceration-type conditions for 20 hours a day. This cruelty makes no one safer.”
About three weeks ago, a federal court ruled that members of Congress could visit the detention centers to provide oversight on the conditions.
According to Menefee, the Houston facility holds about 750 detainees. He said that about 40% are undocumented but don’t have a criminal conviction.
“Americans agree that violent criminals should be deported and that border communities deserve protection. But what the Trump administration is doing goes far beyond that,” Menefee said. “My visit showed that the administration is demonizing, rounding up, and detaining people who have been contributing to our communities instead of focusing on violent criminals.”
Menefee, who was sworn into office in February, went on to say Trump is “radicalizing ICE” and agents have “terrorized communities across the country.”
“What we’ve seen from ICE in the streets shows we need real immigration reform. That we’re detaining so many people who have committed no crime is just more evidence of that,” Menefee said. “I will keep doing this oversight work, keep asking hard questions, and keep pushing for a system that is actually fair.”
He said he will continue to vote against ICE funding.
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