MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Washington DC – Today, U.S Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25) led 48 other House members who wrote Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem to demand an immediate restoration of Congressionally-mandated oversight agencies, and called for an immediate end to the immoral mistreatment of detained individuals. Closure and mass firings at oversight offices within the Department of Homeland Security have coincided with allegations of inhumane conditions and abuses, especially inside Krome Detention Center in South Florida.

The Members wrote that, “people detained at Krome have faced alarming conditions, including prolonged confinement in unsanitary environments, lack of medical care, overcrowding, and mistreatment by staff. At least three deaths have occurred in ICE custody and several detained men and women and their families have alleged serious abuses. Immigration advocates have called it an ‘international human rights disaster.’ One detainee labeled Krome ‘a concentration camp.’”

Wasserman Schultz was joined by fellow Florida Reps. Kathy Castor, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Maxwell Frost, Darren Soto, and Frederica Wilson. Among the other Members signing the letter were U.S. Reps.: Yassamin Ansari; Nanette Barragán; Suzanne Bonamici; André Carson; Troy Carter; Judy Chu; Yvette Clarke; Jason Crow; Danny Davis; Diana DeGette; Veronica Escobar; Adriano Espaillat; Laura Friedman; Jesús García; Robert Garcia; Daniel Goldman; Pablo Hernández; Jonathan Jackson; Pramila Jayapal; Henry Johnson; Robin Kelly; Ro Khanna; Rick Larsen; George Latimer; Betty McCollum; James McGovern; Grace Meng; Seth Moulton; Eleanor Holmes Norton; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; Ilhan Omar; Brittany Pettersen; Mark Pocan; Brad Sherman; Marilyn Strickland; Shri Thanedar; Bennie Thompson; Rashida Tlaib; Paul Tonko; Norma Torres; Gabe Vasquez; Marc Veasey; Nydia Velázquez. No Republican House Members signed this letter.

The Wasserman Schultz-led letter is supported by several immigration and human rights advocacy groups, including the National Immigration Law Center (NILC), Florida Immigrant Coalition (FLIC), American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Americans for Immigrant Justice (AIJ), National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT), Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network, National Immigration Project, and the National Immigrant Justice Center.

Wasserman Schultz has led Congressional Democrats in the fight to restore Temporary Protected Status for Haitians and Venezuelans, and she’s challenged the Trump Administration’s efforts to deport parole recipients from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Wasserman Schultz also sponsored the legal statute guaranteeing Members of Congress access to detention facilities, and has consistently called out the Trump Administration’s failure to prioritize criminals and neglect of migrant detainees.  

Read the final signed letter here or below:

The Honorable Kristi Noem

Secretary of Homeland Security

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

2707 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave SE

Washington, D.C. 20528

Secretary Noem:

We write to express our outrage regarding the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) decision to shut down key oversight offices responsible for ensuring civil rights and humane treatment of migrants in detention. The closure of these offices raises serious questions about DHS’s transparency and compliance with the law, particularly as reports continue to surface detailing inhumane conditions at facilities like Krome Detention Center in Florida. We demand immediate action to restore oversight and halt the immoral mistreatment of detained individuals.

Recent reporting from the Miami Herald indicates that people detained at Krome have faced alarming conditions, including prolonged confinement in unsanitary environments, lack of medical care, overcrowding, and mistreatment by staff. At least three deaths have occurred in ICE custody and several detained men and women and their families have alleged serious abuses. Immigration advocates have called it an “international human rights disaster.” One detainee labeled Krome “a concentration camp.” 

Krome is overcrowded far beyond its capacity Advocates have alleged that ICE is underreporting the detained population in public data. As the Administration seeks to unlawfully terminate the legal status of over 1 million TPS and humanitarian parole recipients—all of whom were vetted by DHS upon entry or after applying for protections—conditions will likely worsen.

Rather than acting in response to dozens of complaints, reports, and lawsuits regarding inhumane conditions and civil rights violations at ICE detention facilities, the Administration has opted to cut off personnel and expertise tasked with ensuring medical, hygiene, mental health, and due process standards. On March 21, DHS effectively closed several oversight offices, the USCIS Ombudsman, Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL), and the Immigration Detention Ombudsman (OIDO). This will have impacts far beyond detention: it will cut off avenues for the public to file complaints about DHS policies and practices from airport screenings to

ICE raids against schools, hospitals, and religious centers.

The elimination of oversight mechanisms leaves individuals detained at Krome and around the country without recourse, undermines transparency, and erodes public trust in the Department’s ability to uphold basic human rights and responsibly manage billions of taxpayer dollars. This decision is particularly troubling given previous findings of abuse and neglect in DHS facilities, which underscore the necessity of independent oversight.

DHS has an obligation to ensure that all individuals in its custody are treated with dignity in accordance with the law and that federal spending on private contracts receives appropriate oversight and monitoring. The removal of essential oversight functions—whose activities are mandated by Congress—defies this obligation and places vulnerable populations at even greater risk of abuse. Given these concerns, we request answers to the following questions:

1.         What was the justification for shutting down oversight offices within DHS that Congress has tasked with ensuring humane conditions and compliance with civil rights laws at DHS detention facilities?

2.         What specific legal authority has DHS claimed in effectively shutting down internal oversight functions and withholding information from Congress and the public?

3.         How will funds appropriated by Congress for these offices be utilized going forward?

4.         What steps, if any, has DHS taken to ensure accountability and oversight in the absence of these offices, particularly in detention contracts with private prison companies?

5.         How does DHS plan to address the specific issues reported at Krome, including allegations of prolonged solitary confinement, overcrowding, physical abuse, and denial of medical treatment? Have additional medical staff or other personnel been surged to the facility considering reported overcrowding?

6.         What actions have been taken by DHS or ICE officials to guarantee access to detained persons for their family members and legal counsel?

7.         Has DHS conducted any internal reviews on the impact of reduced oversight on the conditions within detention centers? If so, what were the findings?

We demand you reverse this decision and provide Congress with a detailed plan for how DHS will restore humane conditions for detained migrants and provide transparency in detention operations. We look forward to your prompt response to these critical questions to ensure that the Trump Administration’s immigration policy does not devolve further into callous cruelty.

Sincerely,

####

Wasserman Schultz lidera a los demócratas de la Cámara de Representantes para exigir que el DHS restablezca las oficinas de supervisión y revise las condiciones inhumanas de detención.

Washington DC – Hoy, la representante estadounidense Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25) encabezó a otros 48 miembros de la Cámara de Representantes que escribieron a la secretaria de Seguridad Nacional, Kristi Noem, para exigir el restablecimiento inmediato de las agencias de supervisión establecidas por el Congreso y el fin inmediato del maltrato inmoral a las personas detenidas. El cierre y los despidos masivos de las oficinas de supervisión del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional han coincidido con denuncias de condiciones inhumanas y abusos, especialmente en el Centro de Detención Krome, en el sur de Florida.

Los miembros escribieron que “las personas detenidas en Krome han enfrentado condiciones alarmantes, incluyendo confinamiento prolongado en entornos insalubres, falta de atención médica, hacinamiento y maltrato por parte del personal. Al menos tres muertes han ocurrido bajo custodia de ICE, varios hombres y mujeres detenidos y sus familias han denunciado graves abusos. Defensores de los derechos de los inmigrantes lo han calificado de “desastre internacional de derechos humanos”. Un detenido calificó a Krome de “campo de concentración”.

Wasserman Schultz estuvo acompañada por otros representantes de Florida: Kathy Castor, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Maxwell Frost, Darren Soto, and Frederica Wilson. Entre otros miembros que firmaron la carta se encontraban representantes de EE. UU.: Yassamin Ansari; Nanette Barragán; Suzanne Bonamici; André Carson; Troy Carter; Judy Chu; Yvette Clarke; Jason Crow; Danny Davis; Diana DeGette; Veronica Escobar; Adriano Espaillat; Laura Friedman; Jesús García; Robert Garcia; Daniel Goldman; Pablo Hernández; Jonathan Jackson; Pramila Jayapal; Henry Johnson; Robin Kelly; Ro Khanna; Rick Larsen; George Latimer; Betty McCollum; James McGovern; Grace Meng; Seth Moulton; Eleanor Holmes Norton; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; Ilhan Omar; Brittany Pettersen; Mark Pocan; Brad Sherman; Marilyn Strickland; Shri Thanedar; Bennie Thompson; Rashida Tlaib; Paul Tonko; Norma Torres; Gabe Vasquez; Marc Veasey; Nydia Velázquez. Ningún miembro republicano de la Cámara de Representantes firmó esta carta.

La carta, dirigida por Wasserman Schultz, cuenta con el apoyo de varios grupos de defensa de la inmigración y los derechos humanos, entre ellos el Centro Nacional de Derecho de Inmigración, la Coalición de Inmigrantes de Florida, la Unión Americana de Libertades Civiles, Americanos por Justicia Immigrante, la Campaña Religiosa Nacional Contra la Tortura, la Red de Defensa de los Inmigrantes de las Montañas Rocosas, el Proyecto Nacional de Inmigración y el Centro Nacional de Justicia para Inmigrantes.

Wasserman Schultz ha liderado a los demócratas del Congreso en la lucha por restaurar el Estatus de Protección Temporal (TPS) para haitianos y venezolanos, y ha desafiado los esfuerzos de la Administración Trump para deportar a beneficiarios de libertad condicional de Cuba, Haití, Nicaragua y Venezuela. Wasserman Schultz también impulsó el estatuto legal que garantiza a los miembros del Congreso el acceso a los centros de detención, y ha denunciado constantemente la falta de prioridad de la Administración Trump para los delincuentes y la negligencia hacia los detenidos migrantes.

Lea la carta final firmada aquí o abajo:

La Honorable Kristi Noem

Secretaria de Seguridad Nacional

Departamento de Seguridad Nacional de los Estados Unidos

2707 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave SE

Washington, D.C. 20528

Secretaria Noem:

Escribimos para expresar nuestra indignación por la decisión del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional (DHS) de cerrar oficinas clave de supervisión, responsables de garantizar los derechos civiles y el trato humano a los migrantes detenidos. El cierre de estas oficinas plantea serias dudas sobre la transparencia y el cumplimiento de la ley por parte del DHS, en particular ante la continua aparición de informes que detallan condiciones inhumanas en centros como el Centro de Detención Krome en Florida. Exigimos medidas inmediatas para restablecer la supervisión y poner fin al maltrato inmoral de las personas detenidas.

Informes recientes del Miami Herald indican que las personas detenidas en Krome han enfrentado condiciones alarmantes, incluyendo confinamiento prolongado en entornos insalubres, falta de atención médica, hacinamiento y maltrato por parte del personal. Al menos tres personas han fallecido bajo custodia del ICE y varios hombres y mujeres detenidos, junto con sus familias, han denunciado graves abusos. Defensores de los derechos de los inmigrantes lo han calificado de “desastre internacional para los derechos humanos”. Un detenido calificó a Krome de “campo de concentración”.

Krome está sobrepoblado, superando con creces su capacidad. Defensores de derechos han alegado que el ICE no reporta la población detenida en los datos públicos. A medida que el gobierno intenta cancelar ilegalmente el estatus legal de más de un millón de beneficiarios del TPS y de la libertad condicional humanitaria —todos ellos examinados por el DHS al ingresar o después de solicitar protección—, es probable que las condiciones empeoren.

En lugar de actuar en respuesta a las decenas de quejas, informes y demandas sobre las condiciones inhumanas y las violaciones de los derechos civiles en los centros de detención del ICE, el Gobierno ha optado por recortar el personal y los expertos encargados de garantizar los estándares médicos, de higiene, de salud mental y del debido proceso. El 21 de marzo, el DHS cerró varias oficinas de supervisión: el Defensor del Pueblo de USCIS, la Oficina para los Derechos Civiles y las Libertades Civiles (CRCL) y el Defensor del Pueblo para la Detención de Inmigrantes (OIDO). Esto tendrá consecuencias mucho más allá de la detención: eliminará las vías para que el público presente quejas sobre las políticas y prácticas del DHS, desde los controles en aeropuertos hasta las redadas del ICE en escuelas, hospitales y centros religiosos.

La eliminación de los mecanismos de supervisión deja a las personas detenidas en Krome y en todo el país sin recursos, socava la transparencia y erosiona la confianza pública en la capacidad del Departamento para defender los derechos humanos fundamentales y gestionar responsablemente miles de millones de dólares de los contribuyentes. Esta decisión es particularmente preocupante, dados los hallazgos previos de abuso y negligencia en las instalaciones del DHS, que subrayan la necesidad de una supervisión independiente.

El DHS tiene la obligación de garantizar que todas las personas bajo su custodia reciban un trato digno conforme a la ley y que el gasto federal en contratos privados reciba la supervisión y el monitoreo adecuados. La eliminación de las funciones esenciales de supervisión — cuyas actividades son exigidas por el Congreso — contraviene esta obligación y expone a las poblaciones vulnerables a un riesgo aún mayor de abuso. Dadas estas preocupaciones, solicitamos respuestas a las siguientes preguntas:

¿Cuál fue la justificación para cerrar las oficinas de supervisión dentro del DHS a las que el Congreso encargó garantizar las condiciones humanas y el cumplimiento de las leyes de derechos civiles en los centros de detención del DHS?

¿Qué autoridad legal específica ha reivindicado el DHS para cerrar efectivamente las funciones de supervisión interna y retener información al Congreso y al público?

¿Cómo se utilizarán en el futuro los fondos asignados por el Congreso para estas oficinas?

¿Qué medidas, si las hubiera, ha adoptado el DHS para garantizar la rendición de cuentas y la supervisión en ausencia de estas oficinas, en los contratos de detención con empresas penitenciarias privadas?

¿Cómo planea el DHS abordar los problemas específicos reportados en Krome, incluyendo las acusaciones de aislamiento prolongado, hacinamiento, abuso físico y denegación de tratamiento médico? ¿Se ha incrementado el personal médico u otro personal en las instalaciones considerando el hacinamiento reportado?

¿Qué acciones han tomado los funcionarios del DHS o del ICE para garantizar el acceso de sus familiares y abogados a las personas detenidas?

¿Ha realizado el DHS alguna revisión interna sobre el impacto de la reducción de la supervisión en las condiciones dentro de los centros de detención? De ser así, ¿cuáles fueron las conclusiones?

Exigimos que revoque esta decisión y proporcione al Congreso un plan detallado sobre cómo el DHS restaurará las condiciones humanas para los migrantes detenidos y garantizará la transparencia en las operaciones de detención. Esperamos su pronta respuesta a estas preguntas cruciales para garantizar que la política migratoria de la Administración Trump no se convierta en una crueldad aún mayor.

Atentamente,

####

As originally released by the Committee on Education and Workforce, Democrats

WASHINGTON – Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce, and Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) will introduce the Robert C. Byrd Mine Safety Protection Act of 2025. 

This bill coincides with the 15^th anniversary of the Upper Big Branch (UBB) Mine Disaster, reflecting lessons learned from the deadly explosion on April 5, 2010, that killed 29 miners.  The bill improves mine safety and closes glaring loopholes in our nation’s mine safety laws that could help save miners’ lives.  The bill would further prioritize the safety of miners by holding rogue mine operators accountable.

“The Robert C. Byrd Mine Safety Protection Act of 2025 is a critical step toward protecting the health and safety of mine workers across the country.  Coal miners, mine safety regulators and the UBB families have asked Congress to address long, overdue reforms to the nations’ mine safety laws.  The reforms in this bill would ensure that all miners are able to return home safely to their families at the end of their shift,”said Ranking Member Scott.  “The tragedy of the Upper Big Branch Mine Disaster will be in vain if Congress does not close the loopholes that have allowed a small minority of mine operators to put profit ahead of their miners’ safety.”

“Miners take incredible risks to power our nation.  While we’ve made progress to support them—like extending the Black Lung Disability Trust excise tax at a higher rate and strengthening silica standards—the recent actions of the Trump Administration have undermined decades of work to enhance protections for coal miners,” said Senator Kaine. “This legislation is critical to strengthening safety standards and holding mine operators accountable for unsafe working conditions.” 

The comes at a time when the Trump Administration is abandoning the nation’s commitment to protect miners.  The Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has fired inspectors and appears to be closing offices across the country.  That agency has yet to answer congressional queries.  Meanwhile, in a secretive and apparently arbitrary process, the Trump Administration terminated thousands of Health and Human Services (HHS) employees—including many scientists and researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) who focus on black lung and innovative technologies to keep mines safe. 

Eliminating so much of the government’s mine safety capacity, especially as we near the fifteenth anniversary of the UBB Mine Disaster, is reckless and nonsensical.  Congress permanently established NIOSH’s Office of Mine Safety and Health in the aftermath of the deadly Sago Mine Disaster.

Weakening the Labor Department’s ability to inspect mines at a time when the White House seeks to ramp up mining is a recipe for more mine disasters.  The Trump Administration’s actions will waste decades of life-saving innovations and put miners’ lives at risk. 

The Robert C. Byrd Mine Safety Protection Act protects miners’ health and safety by:

• Expanding the authority of the MSHA to strengthen safety regulations and enforce penalties against mines with repeat violations.

• Increasing penalties for mines violating health and safety standards.

• Providing the MSHA with better enforcement tools to allow proper inspection and investigation.

• Protecting whistleblowers from retaliation and loss of income.

• Updating mine safety standards to prevent explosions.

• Increasing accountability for the MSHA to ensure that inspectors are independent and qualified to provide quality oversight.

The Robert C. Byrd Mine Safety Protection Act of 2025 is endorsed by Appalachian Citizens Law Center, Appalachian Voices, United Mine Workers of America, and United Steel Workers.

Read the full text of the bill here.

Read a section-by-section summary of the bill here.

###

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) announced he has joined Rep. Chris Pappas and 88 other House Democrats in calling for the protection of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the rehiring of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) staff who manage the LIHEAP program that were fired last week by the Trump Administration.

In a letter to HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy, the lawmakers wrote, “This program is vital for millions of families, and in fact is oversubscribed. More than 25 million American households report foregoing food and medicine to pay their energy bills, and of those, 7 million households report that they face that decision every month. LIHEAP benefits target households who need the assistance the most, particularly those that have a high home energy burden and or have household members who are elderly, disabled, and or young children.”

“In Fiscal Year 2023, nearly 6 million households received LIHEAP assistance, and LIHEAP restored power or prevented disconnections over 2.7 million times for American families,” the lawmakers continued. “Moreover, LIHEAP supported 1.4 million households in crisis assistance. This is not funding that can wait; a team must be in place to support this program’s work. By removing the staff responsible for managing this vital program, this administration has directly burdened the families in our country who need our support most.”

“Gutting this program’s staff is a reckless and irresponsible decision which may cost these families’ lives. We urge you to immediately reverse this decision and do all you can to support the work of this vital program,” the members concluded.

LIHEAP assists low-income individuals and families with the costs of heating and cooling their homes and helps to mitigate the impacts of rising energy costs and extreme weather events. Across the nation, LIHEAP helps nearly 6 million households afford their energy bills. In Fiscal Year 2023, over 130,000 Missouri households benefited from an average savings of $1,533.

Congressman Cleaver has been a strong advocate for the LIHEAP program and efforts to lower energy costs for Missouri families. In 2023, Cleaver joined 115 House lawmakers to request increased home heating assistance funding through LIHEAP. In 2021, Cleaver supported efforts to increase funding for LIHEAP in President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provided additional investments that lowered energy costs for Missouri households. Moreover, Cleaver supported the Inflation Reduction Act, which supported and created numerous federal programs to lower energy costs for Missourians. 

The official letter from lawmakers is available here.

 

Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee’s Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Greenwood, Blue Springs, North Kansas City, Gladstone, and Claycomo. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.