Seth Moulton to conduct oversight tour of Burlington ICE Facility

Democratic Massachusetts Congressman Seth Moulton, who is running for the Senate, will be conducting an official oversight visit to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Burlington on December 1st.

Congressman Moulton’s office says the visit relates to what it calls “ongoing concerns about transparency and detainee treatment.” Earlier this month, a large protest formed outside the ICE facility denouncing alleged inhumane treatment of detainees and the “unlawful and unconstitutional abductions” of immigrants across the state.

Moulton is also extending an invitation to Massachusetts Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey to join him on the visit, offering what he says is an opportunity “to demand answers from ICE together.”

“When it comes to ICE, elected officials should work together to demand transparency and accountability from the Trump Administration, and to ensure that the law is being followed and detainees are being treated humanely. I’m inviting Senators Warren and Markey to join me on December 1 so that we can stand united in getting the facts, supporting our communities, and ensuring that this facility is operating responsibly, humanely, and within the law.” said Congressman Moulton.

“We have seen the excessive use of force and inhumane treatment by ICE personnel in Massachusetts and around the country, and want to ensure that it does not happen moving forward,” he said.

Demonstrators, like the group League of Women Voters of Westford, also claimed detainees held at the facility were kept in rooms without basic necessities. In a post advertising the November 19th protest on their official website, the League featured a lengthy list of examples of alleged inhumane treatment they’re accusing the ICE facility of.

“At this central facility for the New England region, ICE agents are deployed in unmarked vehicles to abduct immigrants across Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont. When an immigrant in Massachusetts is arrested, they are often taken to this facility for processing, where they are denied due process,” said the League of Women Voters of Westford.

“Immigrants are now being detained for days in cells with no beds, no windows, no clocks, no soap, no showers, and hardly any food or water. Each cell is filled with dozens of immigrants, and there is a toilet sitting out in the open. The immigrants are not allowed outdoor time. In addition to those being imprisoned, throughout the day immigrants arrive at this office for mandatory appointments. The building has tinted windows, no signage, and is situated in a large office park,” they said.

According to its website, the League plans to demonstrate outside the facility every Wednesday.

It is unclear if Senators Warren and Markey have accepted Moulton’s invitation to the tour.

The Herald has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ICE for comment on the allegations made by demonstrators and Congressman Moulton.