New York, NY—This morning, NYIC President Murad Awawdeh joined Members of Congress Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Nydia Velázquez (NY-07), and Dan Goldman (NY10) in an oversight visit to MDC Brooklyn, where over 100 immigrants are now being detained under a new ICE-Bureau of Prisons agreement. When they arrived at the facility, they were intentionally locked in -- confined to an area and not permitted to leave. After more than 30 minutes, it became clear that because they arrived at the prison to inspect the facility, the prison went on lockdown. This blocked not only their access, but also prevented legal counsel both inside and outside the facility from reaching detained individuals. A prison official eventually came out and officially denied them entry.
“MDC is notorious for dangerous and inhumane conditions that have resulted in multiple inmate deaths – including medical neglect, abuse, severe understaffing, and extreme temperatures. Detaining any New Yorkers in these conditions is a violation of their human rights. And denying Members of Congress access to a federal detention facility is not only morally reprehensible, it is illegal. Not only did MDC deny oversight access to their detention center, they went as far as to detain Congressmembers and myself – MDC must be held accountable for this egregious action. We join our Congressional Representatives to demand the end of illegal detentions, abductions of immigrant NYers at courthouses and on the streets. The Trump administration must end its mass deportation agenda and attacks on immigrants now,” says Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, New York Immigration Coalition.