Tacoma, Washington – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement in response to the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General’s reporte detailing the results of an unannounced inspection of the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington.
“It’s important that the OIG conducted this inspection—my staff visited this center recently and I have also brought up my concerns regarding this facility to Secretary Mayorkas directly. I want to be clear: ICE must comply with federal standards to provide facilities that keep its detainees safe and healthy while protecting the rights they are entitled to under the law.
“We are talking about the wellbeing and safety of actual people—this has to be a priority for the federal government and we have a serious moral obligation to do right by the people who are under the care of our federal agencies. I will continue to follow this closely and keep in touch with DHS to see that the OIG’s recommendations are being implemented carefully and with real consideration for the rights and dignity of the people in their care.”
Senator Murray has long advocated for the wellbeing and humane treatment of people being held in U.S. custody—particularly children and refugees—through her oversight of the Office of Refugee Resettlement’s (ORR) Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) program across Republican and Democratic administrations.
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