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ICE under fire: Rep Jayapal slams ‘rogue agency’ after 12th detainee dies
In the most recent death, a 32-year-old Chinese national was found hanging by the neck at an ICE detention center.
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Jeffin T. Kaleekal - Thu, 07, Aug 2025
- 23:40 EDT
- 22
Rep. Pramila Jayapal / Getty Images
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Ranking Member of the Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee, decried the 12th ICE detainee death in the seven months since President Trump assumed office.
Most recently, Chinese national, Chaofeng Ge, died at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Pennsylvania. The 32-year-old was found hanging by the neck and unresponsive in the shower room of his detention pod in the early hours of Aug. 5.
Rep. Jayapal, in a strong-worded statement said, “His death is an unacceptable tragedy, and I look forward to reviewing the full investigation in order to understand exactly what happened at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center, owned and operated by the private, for-profit GEO Group."
The Congresswoman also condemned the administration for its decisions that have significantly reduced oversight.
The Department of Homeland Security fired over 300 employees from its Civil Rights, Ombudsman, and Immigration Detention oversight offices. A new policy also requires one week's notice for Congressional visits to detention centers, prompting a lawsuit from 12 Democratic lawmakers.
ALSO READ: Two-thirds of the DOJ unit defending Trump policies in court have quit
Jayapal argued that these actions, combined with 12 reported deaths in ICE detention centers, signal a crisis in oversight amid worsening facility conditions.
Raising alarm, she added, "I am deeply concerned about conditions at current ICE facilities as well as what may happen as Republicans increase detention as a result of the passage of Trump’s Big Bad Betrayal Bill, which directs billions to further militarize and expand Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which is already acting as a rogue agency."
Rep. Jayapal also claimed that a large number of the detainees were awaiting immigration court proceedings and were not detained due to criminal charges.
She said, "Nearly 65 percent of people detained in ICE custody have no criminal record, and many more only have minor offenses such as traffic violations."
Jayapal also condemned the use of for-profit prisons and said, "ICE must eliminate its reliance on for-profit prison operators who cut corners at great expense to the care of people in their custody.”
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