Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández critic ICE facility tour

Representative Teresa Leger Fernández conducted a tour of the Torrance County Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in New Mexico following previous complaints regarding water quality.

Leger Fernández reported that the visit was “very sterile” and that officials from ICE and CoreCivic prevented her from speaking directly with detainees. She alleged that staff reprimanded her for attempting to interact with inmates and expressed concerns regarding the facility's odor and previous reports of skin outbreaks caused by the water. She intends to follow up with ICE alongside Representative Melanie Stansbury to seek further information on facility conditions.

In response to the visit, ICE stated that the congresswoman was provided a “comprehensive tour tailored to the specific areas she had requested to see,” including intake, medical services, and food preparation. ICE noted that privacy guidelines and security protocols require meetings with detainees to be scheduled in advance, meaning spontaneous interactions are not permitted.