Reps. Scholten, Stevens visit Michigan facility after ICE detainee's death
Congresswomen Haley Stevens and Hillary Scholten got the chance to tour a detention facility in Michigan on Tuesday, a few months after an individual who was in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement died.
A Bulgarian citizen, whom federal authorities say was in the U.S. illegally, died on Dec. 19, 2025, at the North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin. Nenko Stanev Gantchev, 56, was found unresponsive on the floor of his cell the day before, ICE said.
In a social media post on Tuesday, Scholten said they sent a letter to the facility in December seeking answers after Gantchev's death.
"When no one answered us, we showed up. We asked ICE to post a sign-up sheet in the days leading up to our visit for detainees who want to meet with us, and more than 100 individuals signed up. Regrettably, we were only permitted to meet with four," Scholten said.
"We need more members of Congress paying attention and conducting visits like these. Not only for the care of the people inside, but also because places like this aren't free. Billions of taxpayer dollars go into funding these facilities every single year. It is incumbent on us to be sure these resources are used wisely and within the rule of law."
CBS News Detroit reached out to ICE for comment and is waiting to hear back.
Stevens, who is also running for the U.S. Senate, says she got to experience the facility through the eyes of many detainees there. She says there are currently around 1,300 men and 100 women being held, with most cases ending in deportation.
"We went through the intake process of what it would be like to be an individual who was being brought in to the ICE detention facility," Stevens said.
While Stevens says she also got to talk with those behind bars, including a woman who was arrested in Macomb County and is currently pregnant.
"She was so shaken and so upset and so fearful missing her young child and of course worried about her pregnancy," said Stevens.
Stevens says she didn't see any physical mistreatment, but she did question ICE's methods. She claims the department is also arresting non-criminals.
"Why we're using taxpayer dollars in this way? It's an extraordinary expense, and I think the public is also outraged, as am I," said Stevens.
The tour comes as the Department of Homeland Security is purchasing a facility in Romulus to be used as another ICE detention facility. Homeowners near the 7000 block of Cogswell Street said they don't want a facility in the area.
"This is not who we are, this is not what we want in terms of achieving broader safety and security goals, and we can do better if we implement the safety security measures, reform, and the accountability," said Stevens.
