BURLINGTON — U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton conducted an unannounced visit to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Burlington Thursday, and said he was delayed entry for more than 30 minutes while multiple vans left the property.
It was his third visit to the facility since President Donald Trump returned to office last year, and his second unannounced visit in that time.
Moulton said in a statement Thursday evening that he returned for an unannounced visit “to see whether the problems I’ve seen have been addressed, and whether conditions for detainees have improved at all as ICE arrests have continued in high numbers.”
When he tried to enter, however, Moulton said he was delayed.
“I was delayed by over 30 minutes today before my tour inside the facility began. During that time period, my team and I noticed multiple vans leave the property. No explanation was given to me regarding this delay and why it was necessary,” said Moulton. “During my tour I was reminded of something I’ve known since I first came here in 2019: This is no place for human habitation.”
Moulton continued, “Enforcing our immigration laws still requires a semblance of due process, including the ability to speak to a lawyer and with family. We must do more to hold ICE accountable, and I will continue to push them to address the poor conditions inside the field office in Burlington. I want to thank the activists that I spoke with following my visit. Your continued support for the individuals being detained inside this facility does not go unnoticed.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, the parent agency of ICE, reiterated its claims that the field office at 1000 District Ave. is “a processing facility, not a detention facility.”
“Illegal aliens are only briefly held there for processing before being transferred to a detention facility. Detainees are provided with bedding items including mattresses, blankets and pillows. Illegal aliens are quickly processed and transferred to permanent housing at a detention facility,” said the DHS spokesperson. “These claims that there are subprime conditions or overcrowding are false. The ICE Burlington facility has an abundance of supplies, including food, assorted snacks, water, personal hygiene, and bedding materials. ICE does not accept any donated items from the public, including food or beverages, in accordance with agency policy.”
The spokesperson went on to say ICE “operates federal law, detention standards, and contractual requirements, with multiple layers of oversight, including routine compliance reviews and DHS inspection processes.”
“ICE also facilitates congressional visits consistent with federal law, operational needs, and security protocols. While state and local partners may assist where authorized, federal immigration detention remains under ICE’s authority,” DHS said. “ICE is committed to the safety, security, and well-being of all individuals in its custody.”
The Burlington facility, located among other office buildings in the proximity of the Burlington Mall, has been a focal point of local protests against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown since President Trump reentered office last year. In the spring of 2025 reports began to emerge about poor conditions within the facility, which critics of ICE have said is only fit to be an office building, not a place for long-term detentions of people arrested by the agency.
During Monday’s Burlington Select Board meeting, local officials discussed recent efforts toward a local inspection of the building. The Select Board and other town officials have argued in the past that multiday detentions in the building violate the property’s zoning, which does not allow for detention centers.
Moulton was able to make an unannounced visit to the building last June, but for months afterward the agency adopted a policy of barring lawmakers from inspecting ICE facilities without prearranging the visit with the agency beforehand. That policy was struck down in court earlier this year, and multiple Massachusetts lawmakers have since conducted unannounced inspections in Burlington.
Moulton is in the midst of a campaign for U.S. Senate against incumbent Sen. Ed Markey, who last month made an unannounced visit to the ICE facility in Scarboro, Maine, in the wake of the fatal shooting of 26-year-old Johan Sebastian Guerrero by an ICE officer.
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