BROADVIEW (WBBM Newsradio) -- West suburban Congresswoman Lauren Underwood is sharing details from her tour of the ICE processing facility in Broadview that's become the focus of protests surrounding Operation Midway Blitz.
Rep. Underwood (D-14th District) talked to reporters Monday after her tour of the facility, 1930 Beach St., which she described as the first visit by a sitting member of Congress in years. She said it happened after months of requests, denials and delays, and when she finally made it inside, virtually no one was there.
"They were updating their security systems and installing new security cameras," she said she was told, "so no detainees or staff were present."
But after seeing the facilities, including open toilets that she described as being "not in any way anything that any of us would be comfortable using," Rep. Underwood offered an assessment of what it must have been like for people who were held there, some for days at a time.
"Unsanitary, uncomfortable, loud, noisy, smelly," she said. "No one should be treated this way."
Rep. Underwood said she was told the facility's most recent overnight detention was "a couple of weeks ago."
She said she intends to return to inspect the facility again, especially given the billions of dollars the Trump Administration has budgeted for immigration enforcement.
"Oversight is essential," said Rep. Underwood. "It has been unacceptable ... the level of non-responsiveness."