Congressman Carter Leads Congressional Delegation to ICE Detention Facilities in Louisiana

BASILE, LA – Yesterday, Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-LA) visited Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Detention Facilities in Jena and Basile Louisiana with a bicameral congressional delegation. Joining him were Congressman Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the House Homeland Security Committee, U.S. Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), and Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA).

As part of their visits, they met Wendy Brito, an asylum-seeker from El Salvador and New Orleans-area resident who never returned from a regular check-in last month with ICE. They also met with Mahmoud Khalil and Rümeysa Öztürk, two students who have been unlawfully detained by ICE and transported to Louisiana from their homes in retaliation for their protected speech.

“No one should be snatched away from their family without due process,” said Rep. Carter. “The Musk-Trump Administration is doing this intentionally to demonstrate cruelty and instill fear in our friends and neighbors. Meeting with Wendy, Mahmoud, and Rümeysa today was heart breaking and eye opening. Wendy is a mother of three who didn’t even get the opportunity to say goodbye to her children. Mahmoud missed the birth of his first child this week. Rümeysa was not even told why she was detained. These are the actions of a weak, misguided egomaniac whose only goal is to sow fear.

“On this trip, we met Mahmoud Khalil, a lawful permanent resident and Columbia grad student detained after peaceful pro-Palestinian advocacy. ICE denied his request to attend his son’s birth on April 21. We also met Rümeysa Öztürk, a Tufts PhD student detained after co-authoring an op-ed, and Wendy Brito, an asylum-seeking mother of three from my district detained after a routine ICE check-in. All appeared physically well, but their detentions raise serious concerns about due process and First Amendment rights.

“We will continue to monitor these cases and advocate for the protection of civil liberties and the rule of law.”

“In the United States of America, no one should be arrested or deported simply for exercising their right to free speech. Mahmoud Khalil and Rümeysa Öztürk should not be in federal custody right now for peacefully speaking out,” added Ranking Member Thompson. “Our job in Congress is to ensure there is robust oversight of the administration – and ensure they are following the law. That is why we went to Louisiana yesterday. Those in the care in the Federal government must receive not only due process, but also healthcare and humane living conditions. The administration still has a lot to answer for and I intend to hold it accountable. I thank Congressman Carter for having us in his home state for this delegation.”

View photos from this visit here.

###