Protesters claim 40 women were wrongfully detained in ICE's Baltimore holding rooms
Federal immigration enforcement operations in Baltimore are coming under fire again, as protesters gathered in front of the George H. Fallon Federal Building on Friday.
The protesters were specifically protesting the detainment of dozens of women, who were once confined inside U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) holding rooms in Baltimore.
They also decried the conditions of the holding rooms, which have long been denounced by advocates and lawmakers.
Detained for days
When 40 women came for a required check-in with ICE over a two-day period in March, they were detained in holding rooms, according to the People's Power Assembly (PPA).
The group heard about it from other activists in Washington state.
"They do regular visits with detainees in ICE facilities and that's how they heard about this story, they brought it to us," said PPA organizer Andrew Mayton.
Mayton said the women have no criminal histories and were just doing something required by law.
"They have active cases in immigration. They're following everything through the legal means of becoming a permanent resident," he said.
PPA and other activists have been in touch with the women's families and say they were transferred to other facilities the day before members of Maryland's Congressional delegation visited on March 9.
Nearly half of the women have been deported, according to Mayton, and those still in the country have been traced to facilities in Washington and Arizona.
One of the protesters read a statement from one of the women's loved ones on Friday.
"On the very day she was detained, she told the officers, ' My daughter is at school, ' to which they replied callously, ' Your daughter doesn't exist here," the protester read.
Aside from PPA, the protesters also represented the International League of People's Struggle (ILPS) Baltimore DMV, International Migrants Alliance, International Women's Alliance, and Defend Migrants Alliance.
Holding room conditions
The holding rooms' conditions continue to be a big topic of concern.
Protesters on Friday contend the women had no access to water, toilets, or menstrual products.
The conditions inside have been decried as inhumane for more than a year, especially when a video in January allegedly showed crowded conditions inside.
At the time, ICE blamed weather conditions for delaying transfers.
WJZ has reached out to ICE about the women's detainment, but there's been no response.
However, ICE has long defended its holding rooms, saying in a previous statement, "The continued fixation by the media to portray ICE processing centers in a negative light is both misleading and irresponsible."
A federal judge in March granted motions in a class action lawsuit against ICE's Baltimore holding room operations, which limited how many people can be held and established some standards, such as how often the rooms need to be cleaned.
The Maryland Attorney General's Office has also filed a lawsuit against ICE, asking for documents in its investigation into the holding rooms.