WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich is demanding answers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after the agency continued operating the Torrance County Detention Facility (TCDF) despite the expiration of its contractual authority on October 31.
In a letter to ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons, Heinrich raised concerns that ICE is still detaining roughly 550 individuals at TCDF even though its contract with Torrance County has lapsed and no new agreement has been finalized.
“While my longstanding concerns regarding the continuing and systemic failures of CoreCivic and ICE to ensure humane conditions for those in detention at TCDF remain, I am specifically inquiring here about the current lapse in contractual authority,” Heinrich wrote.
Heinrich noted that ICE’s own policies state that contracts “automatically expire if a new option period is not exercised or if the contract or agreement is not renewed,” and that detainees and ICE equipment must be removed once a contract ends. Detainee advocates report their clients remain in the facility.
The senator also pointed to failed discussions between ICE and Torrance County officials. Talks about a short-term extension reportedly stalled after an October 27 meeting. “Not only has that contract extension not been presented to the County, but we understand that those discussions have stalled due to a lack of communication from ICE,” Heinrich stated.
Heinrich questioned how ICE can justify continuing operations when it furloughed only a small portion of its workforce during the ongoing federal shutdown and still has access to other funding sources. “ICE’s public assertion that there is no change to U.S. immigration law or enforcement rings hollow when it is now unclear what the legal justification is for the continued detention of approximately 550 individuals at TCDF,” he wrote.
He also cited conflicting statements from ICE leadership. While Acting Assistant Director Sean Hackbarth previously told Heinrich that TCDF “is necessary” for managing a complex detainee population and that closing it would “significantly hamper ICE’s ability” to meet its mission, ICE has still not extended the facility’s contract.
Heinrich pressed ICE to answer key questions, including whether it plans to renew the Intergovernmental Service Agreement with Torrance County, what legal authority it is relying on to continue detentions, and whether the county could be held financially responsible during the lapse.
“The lapse in contractual authority for the continued detention and care of immigrants at TCDF is extremely concerning,” Heinrich wrote. He renewed his call for ICE to close the facility and urged the agency to transfer all detainees out of TCDF until an agreement is legally in place.