Michigan congresswomen get no answers on Baldwin ICE facility death during visit and tour

Circumstances around the death of Nenko Gantchev, who died in ICE custody in December, are still unclear after a visit to the detention facility where he died, according to U.S. Reps. Haley Stevens (D-Birmingham) and Hillary Scholten (D-Grand Rapids), who toured the North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin, Mich. on Tuesday.

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Stevens [seemed] generally impressed with the staff during the visit and their treatment of detainees.

“Of note, there is female leadership here, and there are women who walked with us today and explained, on the intake process, how important it is to treat people with humanity,” Stevens said. “And that obviously really stuck out to me, because some of the things that we are witnessing before our eyes, in our neighborhoods, in our streets, is really a lack of humanity.”

Both congresswomen did note, however, that at least one individual who they spoke to expressed a fear of punishment or retribution for sharing his concerns about the facility — though they attempted to speak with him privately, they were denied that opportunity. Stevens noted that she plans to remain in touch with that person’s family in Macomb County to ensure he is not punished for speaking with the congresswomen.

“He was kept for several weeks in what everyone there refers to as ‘the hole,’ which is similar to a solitary confinement,” Scholten said of the same detainee. “He spoke of being kept in a freezing room where he couldn’t feel his toes and having his food just thrown into his cell. So these are things that we really need to take seriously.”