Last year, 32 people died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody — the most since 2004. In the first seven weeks of this year, eight more people died.
U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-California, confronted Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem with these numbers at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday morning.
Noem said federal detention center standards are even higher than state or local standards.
“We provide medical care to all of our detainees, three nutritious meals a day, we take care of them,” she said.
“I have to tell you, I believe my own eyes,” Padilla said.
He said despite court orders, DHS continues to refuse members of Congress unannounced oversight visits.
ICE officers turned him away from Otay Mesa Detention Center last month.
Noem did not respond to access concerns.
Padilla called for her resignation, firing, or impeachment.
