Rep. Chu Leads Colleagues to Advocate that DHS Immediately Close Adelanto ICE Processing Center

Members call for “more humane and conscientious approach to our immigration system”

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Yesterday, Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28) led a letter, co-signed by 19 House colleagues, to the Department of Homeland Security, expressing strong support for the closure of the Adelanto ICE Processing Center located in Adelanto, California.

“We write to express our support for the immediate closure of the Adelanto ICE Processing Center and urge the Department of Homeland Security to take immediate steps to terminate the contract,” the Members wrote to Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. “Earlier this month, Fox News reported that the nearly 2,000 bed-capacity Adelanto Center is on the verge of closing. Adelanto’s deplorable conditions have been widely reported and the GEO Group, which runs the facility, has long been responsible for violating the constitutional rights of the people in its custody. The GEO Group, which operates the facility, has a history of violating detainees' constitutional rights and a deadly track record of denying necessary medical and mental health treatment to immigrants at Adelanto, resulting in eight preventable deaths according to ICE's investigation.”

Members of Congress have consistently raised concerns about the unconstitutional conditions and health care risks posed to detained immigrants within the low-capacity Adelanto facility, including in a 2015 letter to DHS. Despite this and outlined recommendations for improvement, California and federal oversight agencies responsible for inspecting immigrant detention facilities have consistently determined that GEO is unable to provide adequate health and mental health care at Adelanto and other facilities it operates.

The Members continue, “we urge you to redirect the financial resources currently invested in the Adelanto ICE Processing Center towards programs that support community development, education, healthcare, or other vital services that would be a more effective and just use of taxpayer dollars. Doing so would not only demonstrate a commitment to fiscal responsibility but also reflect a more humane and conscientious approach to our immigration system.”

Click here to read the letter.