(NewsNation) — Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Ill., visited an immigration processing facility in suburban Chicago this week after months of requesting a tour and said it is poised to expand operations.
In a Facebook post, Underwood stated, “I’ve been demanding access to the Broadview ICE facility in Illinois for months to conduct oversight of what’s happening inside. Today, I was let in, the first member of Congress to gain access in years.”
A public statement posted on Underwood’s website about the tour stated she “received a briefing from leadership of the Chicago Field Office and toured the entire facility, including intake rooms, holding spaces, and officer work areas. The visit occurred as dozens of constituents across her community continue to report being detained, confronted, or questioned by federal personnel. For weeks, the Illinois delegation received no timely responses to basic inquiries regarding the safety or location of constituents impacted by the operation.”
During the tour, no detainees or detention officers were present.
She was informed that the facility in Broadview has 22 staff members, the same as before the Trump administration’s so-called “Operation Midway Blitz” began, and operates seven days a week.
“Underwood was told that both sites are preparing for substantial expansion, including a potential reconfiguration of Broadview to accommodate temporary workspaces. Broadview Processing Center will reportedly be used as a training facility for newly hired Deportation Officers, due to the high volume of detainees,” according to the statement.
Underwood said the community “deserves answers about what is happening inside these facilities and what authority DHS is using.”
She said her visit “confirmed serious concerns about conditions, staffing, recordkeeping, and transparency.”
The Department of Homeland Security informed Underwood there was no medical personnel on site and that officers would call 911 in case of emergencies, according to the statement.
“The facility is reportedly seeking assistance from the ICE Health Service Corps or a private medical contractor, but no timeline was provided. This gap places individuals with chronic medical needs at significant risk,” Underwood’s statement read.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois filed a complaint against ICE, claiming in part that, “Broadview is meant to be a ‘holding’ facility, a way station where people are briefly held for processing before being moved to a longer-term detention facility…. Defendants are now warehousing people at Broadview for days on end. The consequences have been dire and wholly predictable,” and the group said the conditions are “inhumane” at the facility.
Read Underwood’s statement here.