Senator Schmitt Blocks Democrats’ Attempt to Undermine ICE Enforcement, Shutdown Detention Facility

U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO) took to the Senate Floor to block Democrats’ attempt to undermine Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by permanently closing a detention facility. Senator Schmitt argued the legislation would eliminate detention capacity without improving medical care, increasing staffing, or strengthening oversight, while undermining public safety and immigration enforcement operations. Watch the Senator’s full speech HERE. Excerpts of remarks as prepared for delivery: “Mr. President, I rise to object to the so-called Delaney Hall Closure Act. But my colleague’s bill does nothing to address the issues he’s raised. It does not hire a single doctor. It does not add a single nurse. It does not require a single inspection. It simply orders the Department of Homeland Security to close Delaney Hall, cancel its contract, and permanently forbid ICE from using the facility again. Two pages. Three commands: Close it. Cancel it. Never reopen it. That is abolition with a short title. “If something goes wrong at a hospital, you investigate what happened. You identify the failure. You discipline the people responsible. You repair the facility, improve the procedures, and make the hospital better. You do not unlock every door, abandon the building, and announce that healthcare itself was the crime. If a bridge needs repair, you fix the bridge. You do not blow it up and congratulate yourself for preventing traffic accidents. “Now, I am willing to take my colleague’s concerns seriously. If Delaney Hall needs more doctors, let us fund more doctors. If it needs more nurses, better medication tracking, stronger inspections, faster emergency response, or better communication with families, let us write those requirements into law and pay for them. I would gladly work with the Senator from New Jersey on additional resources for safe and secure ICE detention facilities. “You cannot pull the batteries from the smoke alarm and then pose beside the ashes demanding to know who failed. You cannot starve a system, condemn the strain, and call abolition the only humane solution. That is not good-faith oversight. That is not serious governance. That is not a viable solution. “Mr. President, a serious Senate would let the current investigation run its course, correct any failures, and strengthen the system. An unserious Senate shuts down the building and pretends the law no longer needs enforcement. I object to using a pending investigation as a ploy to dismantle law enforcement. I object to defunding ICE and then blaming ICE for lacking resources. Fix what is broken. Hold wrongdoers accountable. Protect every person in federal custody, of course, but we must enforce the law.” ###