Rep. Larson | No family should have to navigate the immigration system alone

||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP.  RICK LARSON |||

The Administration’s immigration enforcement agenda is tearing families apart, creating fear throughout our communities, and harming our local economy. That is why I visited the ICE holding facility in Ferndale to conduct congressional oversight and get answers for the people I represent.

While I learned more about the facility’s detention procedures, access to legal counsel, and the role of Homeland Security Investigations in local enforcement operations, I did not receive complete answers to all of my questions. I will continue pressing ICE and the Department of Homeland Security for the transparency and accountability my constituents deserve.

My oversight of both the Ferndale ICE holding facility and the privately operated ICE detention center in Tacoma has reinforced my belief that Congress must place meaningful guardrails on ICE. I will not support legislation that funds the agency without requiring it to meet the same standards of accountability as every other local, state, and federal law enforcement agency. That includes:

• Prohibiting ICE officers from wearing masks during arrests or using restricted equipment such as tear gas.
• Requiring ICE officers to receive de-escalation training.
• Ending family and child detention and DHS’s use of private detention facilities.
• Guaranteeing individuals in immigration detention unlimited access to legal counsel.
• Repealing the Alien Enemies Act, which President Trump has used to deport immigrants from Venezuela without due process.
• Requiring complete and independent investigations into the deaths of individuals in ICE custody and other killings of unarmed civilians.

My office is also establishing a process so that people detained at the Ferndale facility can request assistance from my staff. No family should have to navigate the immigration system alone, and I will continue working to ensure my constituents have access to the information, resources, and representation they need while continuing to push for a more transparent, accountable, and humane immigration system.