WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Austin Scott (GA-08) today released the below statement upon Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas directing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to discontinue use of the Irwin County Detention Center in Ocilla, GA.

“I wish we didn’t have a need for ICE detention centers. Ideally, our country’s border would be secure, and we’d have an immigration system that encourages people to go through the process to immigrate lawfully to our great nation. But we don’t live in a perfect world, and the rhetoric from President Biden and liberal Democrats about open borders has created an unprecedented immigration crisis that he and his Administration continue to escalate.

“The Biden Administration already doesn’t have room to detain the influx of people we’ve seen crossing the border since January, and now is not the time to play partisan games and close ICE detention facilities when we need them the most. It is reckless, irresponsible, puts Americans at risk, and only makes the current immigration crisis worse.

“With regard to the Irwin County Detention Center, there have been multiple investigations into the allegations made against the Center and local health care providers in Irwin County. The accusations were false, and liberal Democrats have seized on this false narrative in an effort to further undermine our nation’s immigration system and demonize our law enforcement officials.”

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