'We've been trapped!' Democratic lawmakers say ICE 'incarcerated' them at detention center

Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) claimed on Wednesday that he and two other House Democrats had been “trapped” at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in New York by an officer that refused to identify themself, keeping he and his colleagues, “in essence, incarcerated.”

In a social media post on X, Espaillat said that he, along with Reps. Dan Goldman (D-NY) and Nydia Valazquez (D-NY), attempted to visit the Sunset Park Detention Center in Brooklyn in an effort to observe the treatment of detained migrants.

“We know for a fact there’s over 100 immigrants that are being detained here, and we have the jurisdiction and the responsibility to come here and have oversight over this operation,” Espaillat said in a video posted to social media.

“We were greeted by a masked agent who refused to give us his name, who refused to show his face, and who proceeded to lock the door, keeping us, in essence, incarcerated, because we cannot go in or out until we get further notice.”

Espaillat cited law that bestows upon members of Congress the right to visit migrant detention centers operated by the Department of Homeland Security without prior notice, though said he was still denied entry into the facility. He also said that he and his Democratic colleagues had been prevented from leaving the facility grounds after the unnamed officer locked an exterior gate.

“We have been trapped in here by a masked agent with no name ... whom we cannot determine who it is because he refuses to show his face,” Espaillat said.

“So we’re trapped here, we spoke to the supervisors here to let them know that we are duly-elected members of Congress, and Section 527 allows us the oversight responsibilities to go in there and see what is going on with the detention of immigrants.”

In June, the entire New York City congressional delegation – including Espaillat, Goldman and Valazquez, signed onto an letter to DHS demanding the right to visit detention centers, a letter that apparently went either unread or ignored.

As of Wednesday afternoon, it’s unclear whether the three New York Democrats remained trapped on the grounds of the detention facility.

“This blatant lack of respect towards the legislative branch is a deterioration of checks and balances, all while they hide their atrocities from the public,” Espaillat wrote in a social media post. “The people demand answers, and immigrants deserve humanity.”

Watch the video below or use this link here.