ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost spoke in his home district Wednesday to announce new legislation that he says will shine a light on what’s “happening in the shadows” to people being detained by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement for potential deportation.
Rep. Frost, D-Orlando, has been an ardent critic of the practices deployed by ICE, telling a crowd that while his new Stop Unlawful Detention and End Mistreatment (SUDEM) Act won’t fix everything, it’s still a start.
“Here in Central Florida and across the country, we’ve watched as Trump’s ICE agents abuse the rule of law, completely skirt over due process, and target non-violent people,” Frost said. “This bill is a step toward pulling back the curtain on our immigration detention system and shining a light on what’s happening in the shadows right now.”
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The SUDEM Act would require any ICE-operated or affiliated facilities to publicly report who is being detained, where they’re being detained, when they were detained and why.
Frost says this would include private and local jails that contract with ICE.
“The SUDEM Act is one part of a huge puzzle in making sure that we can have accountability for this agency, ICE, that is completely out of control,” he said.
The congressman’s news conference came just a day after Kelly Loeffler, administrator of the Small Business Administration within President Donald Trump’s cabinet, visited Central Florida.
We asked Loeffler if we should expect more potential immigration raids at businesses.
“Well, I can’t speak for DHS. I can speak to the expectation of the administration that everyone will follow the law, and that’s what Americans voted for,” Loeffler replied.
[WATCH: News 6 presses Trump cabinet member on legislative agenda, immigration, and tariffs]