In the News
U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell, Ann Arbor, and Haley Stevens, Birmingham, have officially introduced the Justice for Allie Act in Congress today — federal legislation modeled closely after the Michigan law, which earned unanimous bipartisan support. The federal version includes language that adds "with the intent to cause harm."
Two members of Michigan's congressional delegation say questions remain surrounding the December death of an inmate at a Baldwin processing facility for those detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
U.S. Reps. Haley Stevens and Hillary Scholten toured the ICE detention center in Baldwin and said they are seeking more transparency after the death of a detainee at the facility.
“Unfortunately, the outreach that Congresswoman Scholten and I made to our Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem went unanswered, around the death of Mr. Gantchev,” Stevens said.
Representatives, Hillary Scholten and Haley Stevens of Michigan toward an ICE detention facility in Baldwin, where a man died in custody last December. Nenko Gantchev, a 56 year old from Bulgaria, was found unresponsive in his cell at the North Lake Processing Center on December 15.
Congresswoman Haley Stevens and Hillary Scholten toured the North Lake Processing Center in Lake County Tuesday. They walked through and spoke with some of the detainees. It's the largest processing center in the Midwest.
"I got a chance to speak to a handful of the people who are detained. The stories range from heartbreaking to frustrating," Stevens said.
"What I saw today was not the worst of the worst. In fact, I had to ask about the safety and security," Stevens said.
"Do you have weapons on you? Do you carry firearms? No. Do you carry Tasers? No. So if this is the worst of the worst, then why don't we need our guards? They said no one in the facility has arms," Stevens said.
"We went through the intake process of what it would be like to be an individual who was being brought in to the ICE detention facility," Stevens said.
While Stevens says she also got to talk with those behind bars, including a woman who was arrested in Macomb County and is currently pregnant.
"She was so shaken and so upset and so fearful missing her young child and of course worried about her pregnancy," said Stevens.
U.S. Reps. Hillary Scholten, D-Grand Rapids, and Haley Stevens, D-Birmingham, toured the North Lake Processing Center in Lake County after asking several questions about the December death of Nenko Gantchev.
Gantchev, a 56-year-old man from Bulgaria, was found unresponsive in his cell on Dec. 15 and eventually declared dead from natural causes.