WASHINGTON, D.C.– Maryland Democrats are demanding change after witnessing conditions at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Baltimore.
“Quite frankly, some shelters for pets receive better facilities and oversight than those being used to detain people,” Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.) told Capital News Service.
“These deplorable conditions point to a failure of leadership at the Department of Homeland Security,” Ivey wrote in an email this week. “We can enforce immigration laws while still upholding basic standards of decency and public safety.”
A viral video posted on Jan. 27 circulating on social media appeared to show Baltimore detainees lying on bare, concrete floors with tinfoil blankets on thin mats.
Days later, U.S. Rep. April McClain Delaney visited the facility to confirm the conditions, prompting Maryland Democrats to weigh in.
“Accountability, transparency and adherence to humane detention standards are not partisan demands, they are fundamental responsibilities,” Ivey said.
Conditions at the facility have fueled Democrats’ impeachment efforts against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Efforts started on Jan. 14 for obstructing Congress, violating public trust and misusing her position for personal gain, according to a press release of Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.).
McClain Delaney stated that the five holding rooms, meant for a detention period of 12 hours or less, are being used for multi-day confinement. She believes that conditions in the facility were better that day for the visit and worse when representatives aren’t touring the facility.
“It’s clear that ICE gave us a highly sanitized portrayal of this facility,” McClain Delaney said in a press release. “What remains unknown is what conditions look like when I’m not there.”
Maryland Democrats expressed concern in a letter addressed to Noem and ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons.
“These conditions are part of a pattern of disturbing reports of prolonged detainment, overcrowding, and inhumane conditions at ICE’s Baltimore Field Office,” the letter said.
The letter asks for more information about the conditions depicted in the social media video. It also asks if ICE has made changes in response to it.
The questions were originally submitted Aug. 27, 2025, after a visit from Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Alsobrooks, Reps. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.) and Sarah Elfreth (D-Md.).
Maryland Democrats requested a reply by the end of February.