Three New York Democrats were locked behind the gate of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center for close to a half hour while attempting to conduct a congressional oversight visit on Wednesday, the latest in a string of tense incidents outside ICE facilities involving Democratic lawmakers.
“We were greeted by a masked agent who refused to give us his name, who refused to show his face and proceed to lock the door,” Rep. Adriano Espaillat told reporters, speaking into microphones being held through the iron gate. “Keeping us, in essence, incarcerated.”
The New York Immigration Coalition, an umbrella group that represents more than 200 immigration-related organizations, posted on X that Reps. Espaillat, Nydia Velázquez and Dan Goldman were “trapped” between a fence and the jail building. “They can’t get in or out!” the group added.