Jayapal Statement on Death of Detained Person at Moshannon Detention Center

SEATTLE, WA – U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Ranking Member of the Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee, released the following statement after a Chinese national, Chaofeng Ge, died at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Pennsylvania.

“First and foremost, my heart goes out to Mr. Ge’s family and loved ones. His death is an unacceptable tragedy, and I look forward to reviewing the full investigation in order to understand exactly what happened at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center, owned and operated by the private, for-profit GEO Group.

“This is the 12th death in ICE detention in under 7 months since Trump became President. This is unacceptable, especially as the Trump administration has gutted independent oversight. They have fired nearly every person in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Office, DHS Ombudsman, and the Office of Immigration Detention, while also illegally denying members of Congress the ability to conduct unannounced inspections of detention facilities.

“I am deeply concerned about conditions at current ICE facilities as well as what may happen as Republicans increase detention as a result of the passage of Trump’s Big Bad Betrayal Bill, which directs billions to further militarize and expand Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which is already acting as a rogue agency.

“ICE should be finding ways to reduce its overreliance on detention. The vast majority of detained people are there pending immigration court proceedings, not due to criminal charges. Nearly 65 percent of people detained in ICE custody have no criminal record, and many more only have minor offenses such as traffic violations. There are workable solutions, such as humane community-based alternatives to detention, that have proven to be successful in producing compliance with court proceedings at a fraction of the cost of detention. Finally, ICE must eliminate its reliance on for-profit prison operators who cut corners at great expense to the care of people in their custody.”

Issues: Immigration