On Tuesday, March 12, U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley visited the ICE Boston Field Office in Burlington to conduct oversight of the facility, which is known for its poor conditions.

After a closed-door tour with ICE staff and leadership that lasted about 90 minutes, she delivered a brief yet passionate speech in front of protestors, explaining the reason and timeliness for her visit. She was direct with her words.

“I’m leaving here with my position unchanged — that we need to defund and abolish ICE,” she said addressing the press and local activists.

Pressley, who represents Massachusetts’ 7th congressional district which includes parts of Boston and surrounding communities with high numbers of immigrants, has been outspoken against the second Trump administration’s rigorous and unforgiving immigration enforcement.

She went on to stress the importance of continued “vigorous oversight” of the organization.

“I’ve had a number of constituents who have been unlawfully processed and detained,” said Pressley. “Because of the dedicated work of my staff and working cooperatively with organizations like LUCE … we’ve been able to get a lot of people freed and reunited with their families and back home.”

LUCE, a volunteer immigrant justice network in Massachusetts, serves as a community watchdog and organizing group, offering a daily hotline and resources to immigrants facing deportation.

Pressley has been involved in the resolution of a number of high profile ICE arrests since the recent uptick in immigration enforcement in the Boston area began in early 2025.

When nine workers at the Allston Car Wash were arrested in a raid last November, Pressley delivered a floor speech in Washington condemning the unlawful arrests. She also held a press conference with District 9 City Councilor Liz Breadon, Pietra Adami of LUCE Volunteer Network and other community organizers to welcome the detainees home upon their release the following month.

“What was shared here today was deeply alarming. A senior denied their medication. A young woman unable to shower or eat for days. People forced to endure harsh conditions in the lobby of a processing facility not designed or equipped for living,” said Pressley during the December press conference.

The workers’ ages ranged from 19 to 67; none had preexisting criminal records, according to their attorney Todd Pomerleau. All were held in the ICE Boston Field Office for days before being dispersed across New England to facilities like the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in South Burlington, Vermont. One worker was released from custody and picked up by LUCE affiliates in Texas.

The ICE Boston Field Office is designed to function as an administrative facility for ICE, while operating a confinement area as a jail. Due to the recent influx of arrests, detainees have often been held for multiple days at a time, without proper necessities like a place to sleep. Sisters Heidy and Clarisa Aguilon, unlawfully detained in the Allston Car Wash raid, were held in the Burlington office for six and nine days, respectively. They have since been released.

Pressley is not the only Massachusetts lawmaker to have conducted oversight on the facility since the beginning of the second Trump administration. Last June, after the arrest of teenager Marcelo Gomes Da Silva in Medford, U.S. Representatives Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts’ fourth congressional district and Seth Moulton of Massachusetts’ sixth congressional district visited the facility.

On December 1, Moulton went back to the facility to conduct another oversight visit and see if the conditions had improved.

“ I’m here not just to show up, but to get inside and see what’s actually going on” he said. “I’m gonna come back with answers.”

After his visit, he voiced concern that inmates were still without beds, but said conditions had improved.

“There is no excuse that they have not had sleeping mats from June until now,” said Moulton.

On February 9 of this year, House Minority Whip Catherine Clark representing Massachusetts’ fifth congressional district was denied entry to the facility after she showed up unannounced to conduct an oversight visit.

“Members of Congress have the right and responsibility to conduct oversight. That duty includes carrying out inspections of ICE facilities. Last week, a federal court ordered the Trump administration to allow Members to fulfill that duty — yet today, I was denied access to the ICE field office in Burlington,” said Clark in a statement.

After her visit, Pressley briefly criticised the The Department of Homeland Security or DHS, a relatively new organization that ICE is part of.

“At the end of the day, ICE has only been in existence since 2003. Immigration enforcement should not be happening under DHS,” said Pressely.

DHS was formed in 2002 under the Bush administration after 9/11. ICE is just one of 22 government organizations that was created or combined to form the conglomerate. Among other organizations is the office of Health Security or OHS and the Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA.

The amalgamation of these organizations has meant that crucial operation funding for organizations like FEMA, an entity designed for disaster relief, can be and has been redirected to immigration enforcement.

In closing, Pressely referred to oversight as a useful “tool available to us.” She thanked the local organizers who have held weekly protests outside of the facility to support immigrant families and community members.

“Appreciate you all being here, because you recognize that our freedoms and our destinies are tied,” said Pressley, “and these are our neighbors.”