ORLANDO, Fla. – Democratic members of Congress from across the country gathered in Orlando on Monday to announce an investigation into the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, commonly referred to as ICE.
“What we heard today across the State of Florida is deeply disturbing,” said U.S. Representative Maxwell Frost of Orlando.
The members of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability are specifically concerned about something called an ‘ICE detainer.’
That’s when suspects are held in local jails until ICE agents can pick them up.
If ICE agents do not arrive to pick up the suspect within 48 to 72 hours, the suspect must be released from custody.
Frost said ICE has found a loophole.
“When that clock would run out, ICE would pick up the person, put them in a van, either just drive around for hours or sit them in a parking lot and then bring them back and rebook them,” Frost said at a press conference at his district office in downtown Orlando.
On Monday, members of the committee visited the Orange County jail and held a roundtable with local immigration advocates.
“It’s clear that, from the discussions we had with local advocates, local lawyers on the ground, that what’s happening here in Orlando and more broadly what’s happening across the state of Florida is incredibly serious and quite frankly some of the worst abuses that are happening in the entire country,” said California Democrat U.S. Representative Robert Garcia. He is the ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability
“We are committed as a committee to make DHS and ICE accountable for the unconstitutional crimes happening right now against Floridians, here in Orlando, and beyond,” Garcia said.
Frost claimed many local law enforcement agencies in Florida were forced to cooperate with these ICE procedures by the DeSantis administration.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is a strong proponent of ICE crackdowns.
“Florida continues to be a valuable partner in advancing President Trump’s immigration agenda, and DHS appreciates their support,” the department said in a statement last week. “DHS continuously evaluates detention needs and requirements to ensure they meet the latest operational requirements.”
DeSantis led the effort to open ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ in the Everglades to house ICE detainees.
Florida has spent more than $1 million a day to run the facility, and DeSantis has said he expects reimbursement from the federal government. The state has not yet received $608 million it has requested.
“No one should be kept in custody because ICE failed to find detention space, no one should be transported across the state in shackles to avoid their release deadline and no one should disappear into a detention center without accountability or due process,” Frost said during his Monday press conference.
Frost and Garcia plan to introduce legislation called the ‘Nice Act’ to prevent the practice of holding detained immigrants indefinitely.
News 6 has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment on the accusations from the members of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.