U.S. Reps. Haley Stevens (D-Birmingham) and Hillary Scholten (D-Grand Rapids) visited North Lake Processing Center today, the largest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in the Midwest, located in the town of Baldwin in Lake County.
The purpose of the visit was to seek more information on 56-year-old Nenko Gantchev's death at the facility in December. But the representatives said they didn't learn any new information about his death from the tour.
“We know that an individual has died in this facility, and we still don't have answers as to why,” Scholten told reporters after her visit. “That is important not to lose sight of. Just because things looked in order today doesn't mean that's always how it existed.”
Scholten and Stevens spoke with four of the estimated 1,500 detainees being held at the facility from all over the country.
Scholten said one detainee described being kept in "the hole," which she said was something similar to solitary confinement.
“He spoke of being kept in a freezing room where he couldn't feel his toes and having his food just thrown into his cell,” Scholten said.
Stevens added that the detainee expressed fear of retaliation for speaking with her and Rep. Scholten: “I do plan to follow up with that individual who is from Macomb County,” and with his family, Stevens said.
The representatives said they were told they could not speak with any detainees in private.
The North Lake detention center is a former private prison owned and operated by the company GEO Group.
The company recently reported a record $254 million profit.
“In terms of our congressional oversight, we need to ask why a private company is making money and profiting off of keeping people in detainment, when they may have been granted release or bail,” said Rep. Stevens.
Stevens called for “transparency from the top to the bottom” from ICE and the Department of Homeland Security.
“I remain disappointed in Secretary Noem,” Stevens said, referring to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who Stevens said has not answered her questions and has not responded to congressional inquiry.
“I have lost faith in her leadership and her ability to run the Department of Homeland Security, and we are still waiting for answers from her.”
