{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://vasquez.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-gabe-vasquez-demands-transparency-ice-otero-county-detention-center", "Rep. Gabe Vasquez Demands Transparency from ICE at Otero County Detention Center Oversight Visit", "2025-07-30", "2025", "2025-07", "Democrat", "House", "NM", "Gabe Vasquez", "V000136", "vasquez.house.gov", "vasquez", "https://vasquez.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 On July 30, 2025, U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) visited the Otero County Processing Center to carry out his oversight duties as a Member of Congress and get critical insight into how ICE is treating detainees using taxpayer funds.\n\nDuring the visit, the Congressman met with ICE representatives and private contractor staff, was given a tour of the facility, and underscored the urgent need for consistent, independent oversight to ensure taxpayer-funded detention centers uphold basic standards of care and human dignity.\n\nDespite his lawful right to congressional oversight and prior submission of privacy forms, the Congressman was not permitted to speak with detained individuals \u2014 a restriction which facility staff stated was due to \u201cchanging policies.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am all for measures that keep our borders and communities secure, but after my visit to the Otero Processing Center, it is only more clear that ICE is not making our communities safer,\u201d said Vasquez. \u201cToday, we learned that over 80% of the individuals detained in this facility have no criminal charges or convictions \u2014 meaning the administration is not just targeting violent individuals, it's filling detention centers with workers, parents, and our community members. ICE\u2019s complete disregard for the need for transparent legal processes and accountability around the spending of taxpayer money is unacceptable.\u201d\n\nDuring the Congressman\u2019s visit, he encountered:\n\nICE representatives who were unwilling and unable to give him clear and straightforward answers to questions regarding their treatment of their detainees\n\nPhones \u2014 which detained individuals rely on to speak with legal counsel and loved ones \u2014 which were broken\n\nToilets which would not flush\n\nAccounts of the facility\u2019s history of an understaffed medical team\n\nVasquez continues to champion legislation like his Humane Accountability Act, which would increase transparency around ICE detention and strengthen reporting standards for how individuals are treated in federal detention centers.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T14:40:33Z"]], "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://vasquez.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-gabe-vasquez-demands-transparency-ice-otero-county-detention-center"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0201269760727882, "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"}