Democratic U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine's 1st District said she's alarmed by reports that ICE is denying immigration attorneys access to its office in Scarborough, and is requesting an official oversight visit to the facility.
During a virtual press conference on Monday, Pingree said her office started getting reports last month that ICE was blocking attorney access, and that it has since become a growing trend.
"This practice of not allowing you to bring your attorney in, say, to the ICE facility in Scarborough, is unheard of. Never happened before," she said, adding that she's not aware of any official policy change that would explain this pattern.
"If in fact it has been changed, that raises a lot of concerns about a person's legal right to counsel," she said. "But so far, we don't know of any policy that's been changed and why this is being done this way."
In a written statement, the Portland-based Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project said its clients have been denied attorney access "multiple times" over the past several months.
Pingree sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security Monday requesting an official oversight visit to the facility. She said Scarborough town officials have also tried to get access to the office, but have been denied entry.
