Dec. 24 (UPI) — U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver, D‑N.J, returned to New Jersey’s Delaney Hall Detention Facility to again call for its closure just months after a confrontation there led to criminal charges against her.
Her visit Tuesday followed news that Jean Wilson Brutus, a 41‑year‑old Haitian immigrant, died at the facility on Dec. 12, one day after entering Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody.
“Today we demanded answers about the death of Mr. Brutus in ICE custody and spoke to people being mistreated. It was difficult to be back at Delaney Hall, but I have a responsibility to serve the people and protect the 10th,” McIver wrote on social media.
In a statement, McIver demanded the facility’s “immediate” shutdown and a “full, independent investigation.”
She was joined by Reps. Rob Menendez, D‑N.J., and Yvette Clarke, D‑N.Y.
“This should not be open,” McIver said, adding, “When we left out of there, a detainee told us, ‘This is not the America that we dreamed of.'”
Federal prosecutors previously charged McIver with impeding and interfering with ICE officers during a May incident involving Newark Mayor Ras Baraka.
Video from that encounter shows a chaotic exchange in which McIver appears to be jostled by officers.
Meanwhile, her case remains pending.
“We can’t trust [the Trump] administration. That’s why my colleagues and I will keep showing up and keep demanding oversight,” McIver posted Wednesday on X.
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