{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://crow.house.gov/media/press-releases/crow-bennet-hickenlooper-call-for-independent-investigation-into-death-at-the-aurora-ice-facility", "Crow, Bennet, Hickenlooper Call for Independent Investigation Into Death at the Aurora ICE Facility", "2022-10-25", "2022", "2022-10", "Democrat", "House", "CO", "Jason Crow", "C001121", "crow.house.gov", "crow", "https://crow.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "AURORA \u2013 Congressman Jason Crow (CO-06) was joined by US Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and John Hickenlooper (D-CO) in calling for an independent Inspector General investigation into the recent death of Melvin Ariel Calero-Mendoza at the Aurora GEO Group facility, a privately-owned ICE detention center.\n\nThe Colorado lawmakers also emphasized the importance of maintaining access to detainees who witnessed the events preceding Mr. Calero-Mendoza\u2019s death and the Facility\u2019s response. Specifically, they request that the agencies prevent witnesses from being transferred to other facilities against their will and issue stays of removal for witnesses who have deportation orders.\n\n\u201cThe [GEO] Facility\u2019s negative history has resulted in enhanced congressional oversight,\u201d wrote the Members. \u201cAs we endeavor to provide enhanced oversight of this Facility, we urge you to keep our offices informed of the agency\u2019s investigations into Mr. Calero-Mendoza\u2019s death. In adherence with agency protocol, we request that the DHS OIG and ICE OPR independently investigate Mr. Calero-Mendoza\u2019s death and make the results of the investigations publicly available.\u201d\n\nFollowing completion of the investigations, the lawmakers also requested a Member-level briefing to understand the circumstances surrounding Mr. Calero-Mendoza\u2019s death and what steps the Facility should take to prevent similar deaths in the future.\n\nSee the full text of the letter here and below.\n\nDear Inspector General Cuffari and Acting Director Johnson:\n\nOn October 14, 2022, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported the death of Melvin Ariel Calero-Mendoza, who was detained at the Aurora Contract Detention Facility (\u201cFacility\u201d) operated by the GEO Group in Aurora, Colorado. As the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) conducts a review of this fatality, we request that our offices be kept regularly apprised of the investigation process and results. We also request that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) complete a thorough review of the results and conduct an independent investigation.\n\nThe Facility\u2019s negative history has resulted in enhanced congressional oversight. Following reports of disturbing public health conditions in February 2019, Congressman Crow called for a congressional hearing to investigate activities of the GEO Group, introduced legislation increasing access to federal immigration detention centers for members of Congress and their staff, and initiated weekly visits to the Facility to provide oversight. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we raised further concerns regarding rapid disease spread at the Facility and continued to advocate for appropriate medical care and protective measures.\n\nAs we endeavor to provide enhanced oversight of this Facility, we urge you to keep our offices informed of the agency\u2019s investigations into Mr. Calero-Mendoza\u2019s death. In adherence with agency protocol, we request that the DHS OIG and ICE OPR independently investigate Mr. Calero-Mendoza\u2019s death and make the results of the investigations publicly available.\n\nWe are also concerned about detainees who reportedly witnessed Mr. Calero-Mendoza\u2019s symptoms and eventual collapse. These individuals importantly help investigators understand events leading to Mr. Calero-Mendoza\u2019s death and the Facility\u2019s response. Investigators need to maintain access to these witnesses and they should be protected from harm and intimidation during the course of the investigation. We request that you:\n\nPrevent witnesses from being transferred to other facilities, unless at the request of the witness;\n\nIssue stays of removal for witnesses who have deportation orders for the duration of the investigations;\n\nConsider paroling witnesses whose cases are pending into the community when appropriate;\n\nProvide our offices with a list of all detainees who witnessed Mr. Calero-Mendoza\u2019s worsening symptoms and the emergency response, including a manifest showing all persons detained in Aurora South, Dorm E and their pod assignments leading up to the date of Mr. Calero-Mendoza's death;\n\nRequire that interviews of witnesses be recorded and that witnesses not be deterred from having legal counsel present during the interviews; and\n\nProvide our offices with a list of any witnesses who have already been interviewed.\n\nFollowing completion of these investigations, we request a Member-level briefing to understand the circumstances surrounding Mr. Calero-Mendoza\u2019s death and what steps the Facility should take to prevent similar deaths in the future.\n\nWe urge you to provide our offices with an update on the steps that DHS OIG and ICE OPR have taken regarding this case no later than November 18, 2022. We appreciate your urgency and interest in this matter. Our thoughts are with Mr. Calero-Mendoza\u2019s family at this time and we join our community in mourning this loss of life.\n\nSincerely,", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:34:28Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://crow.house.gov/media/press-releases/crow-bennet-hickenlooper-call-for-independent-investigation-into-death-at-the-aurora-ice-facility"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8556249085813761, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}