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Rep. Seth Moulton spent 90 minutes inside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Burlington, Massachusetts on Monday, conducting what he called desperately needed congressional oversight of a facility that has drawn months of public criticism over detainee treatment.
The congressman, whose district includes Burlington, emerged from the visit to tell reporters and dozens of gathered protesters that conditions inside remain inadequate despite his previous calls for improvement following a June inspection.
“You know, some of the observations that I made on my last visit that there were not enough blankets and adequate facilities for people to be detained here for any length of time. Those have not changed,” Moulton said.
The facility, located near Burlington Mall, is designed as a processing center but has repeatedly held immigrants for extended periods. Former detainees and advocacy groups have reported overcrowding, lack of access to showers and medical care and insufficient sanitary supplies.
During Monday’s visit, Moulton and his staff questioned ICE personnel about intake procedures, detention conditions, food quality and detainees’ access to legal counsel and family members. He noted specific concerns about sleeping arrangements and religious accommodations.
“We are going to follow up and stay on top of them to make sure that they get basic humanitarian things like sleeping mats so they’re not sleeping on concrete floors or concrete benches if they have to stay here overnight, to make sure that they get adequate meals that meet basic humanitarian standards, so that people are adequately fed,” Moulton said.
He said he asked about available reading materials and observed religious texts. “I ask specific questions about what reading materials they have. I saw a stack of Bibles. Do they have access to Qurans and other religious materials that individuals may may request,” he said.
The visit came after Moulton announced Nov. 21 that he would conduct the inspection and invited Massachusetts Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey to join him. Warren has endorsed Markey in his 2026 reelection bid, which Moulton is challenging in the Democratic primary.
ICE has maintained that field offices are processing centers not intended for long-term detention, and that detainees receive adequate food, phone access, showers, legal representation and medical care when needed.
Moulton acknowledged that while Burlington’s practices fall short of acceptable standards, the facility compares favorably to other ICE locations he has observed. He credited community activists who have maintained a regular presence outside the building with helping drive improvements.
“One thing that was apparent throughout the visit is that the presence that you have here as Americans standing up for American values, it absolutely affects what happens behind those doors, and the practices that we saw that we’ve witnessed here in Burlington do not meet the standards that we would like to see, but they are far better than in other facilities and other places we have seen around the United States,” he said.
The congressman pledged continued oversight visits and detailed engagement with ICE officers to ensure compliance with federal law and humanitarian standards.
“Your presence here makes a huge difference. They know that they’re being watched. They know that they’re being held accountable and and we’re going to continue doing that until this situation improves,” Moulton told the crowd.
