Rep Scanlon Denied Entry To ICE Facility On Oversight Visit

DELAWARE COUNTY, PA — Delaware County's congressional representative was denied access to an ICE detention facility Wednesday, and she says the Secretary of Homeland Security OKed the denial.

Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (D-5th District) on Wednesday visited Moshannon Valley Processing Center, a privately operated immigration detention facility in Philipsburg to conduct oversight following allegations of civil rights abuses and the recent death of a Chinese national while in ICE custody at the facility.

After about an hour of waiting and speaking with staff at the facility's entrance, Scanlon was denied entry to the facility.

She said her denial was due to orders issued by Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.

"Under federal law, Members of Congress are allowed entry into immigration facilities to conduct oversight visits — without any requirement of advance notice," Scanlon said. "As we continue to hear stories of inhumane conditions within this facility and others across the country, and see evidence that the vast majority of those detained have no criminal records, it is our duty as federal representatives to shed light on how taxpayer dollars are being spent and to ensure detainees are not being mistreated. Democrats in Congress will not allow this administration to ignore due process and commit civil rights abuses. I will continue to press the administration on these issues and call out the concerns being raised by my constituents, including those of individuals currently detained at Moshannon Valley Processing Center."

According to Scanlon's office, the congresswoman was blocked at an initial entry gate and forced to wait for ICE and GEO Group supervisors to speak with her. GEO Group is the former owner of Delaware County's George W. Hill Correctional Facility. The county deprivatized the facility in 2022.

When they arrived at the gate, ICE’s Acting Assistant Field Office Director and the GEO Group Facility Administrator told Scanlon that she would not be allowed into the facility because of orders from Noem.

Scanlon's office said those orders direct immigration facilities to deny entry to Members of Congress, despite Members of Congress having explicit statutory authority to conduct unannounced oversight visits at facilities operated by or for the Department of Homeland Security.

Scanlon presented the officials with the relevant statute and a letter detailing the specific reasons for her oversight visit, and asked that the letter be relayed to their superiors for a formal response while she remained on site, her office said.

When they returned, the facility supervisors denied Scanlon entry to the facility once again, citing Noem’s policy, although they acknowledged the congresswoman’s statutory right to enter, according to her office.

Read Scanlon’s letter to ICE officials below.

Brian McShane
Field Office Director
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Enforcement and Removal Operations

Mr. McShane:

I am visiting Moshannon Valley Processing Center today to conduct oversight pursuant to statutory authority as a Member of Congress under Section 527 of the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024 (Public Law 118-47).

Last year, a federal complaint filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, Legal Services of New Jersey, and the Transnational Legal Clinic documented inhumane conditions at this facility. Particularly, the complaint describes how ICE and GEO staff repeatedly and systematically deny access to interpretive, medical, legal, and other services to persons held in ICE custody at Moshannon. That complaint has never been resolved, allegedly due to drastic and unplanned reductions in force at the Office of Civil Rights, which was tasked with its investigation.

Concerns about the conditions documented at Moshannon are ongoing. As the number of people in immigration detention in the United States reaches a new modern record, we know that most individuals arrested in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions are sent to this facility. We have received persistent reports that ICE and GEO officials routinely fail to provide comprehensive and appropriate medical services to those in custody here, including mental health care and medical and gynecological care for women detainees. I am aware of at least one constituent from my district currently in custody at Moshannon who has been unable to access proper medical care. Earlier this month, a Chinese national allegedly committed suicide while detained here, raising concerns about the supervision of detainees and the availability of mental health resources. We have also received multiple reports of inadequate nutrition, with detainees either going hungry or being forced to purchase their own food from the detention center commissary.

As a Member of Congress, I have the duty to conduct oversight of government functions, including whether ICE facilities are spending billions of taxpayer dollars wisely. As a representative for my constituents and a member of the Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration, I have the duty to investigate allegations of abuse or civil rights violations of my constituents and others.

In furtherance of my oversight duty, I am here to observe the general conditions of this facility and to inquire about the population currently detained at this facility — including, in particular, any U.S. citizens. I am also requesting information about Moshannon’s policies, including, but not limited to, issues around access to medical and mental health care, access to legal services and legal status of detainees, language access services, disciplinary practices, and segregation practices.

Sincerely,

Mary Gay Scanlon
Member of Congress, PA-05