CONGRESSMAN JOE MORELLE RELEASES STATEMENT FOLLOWING VISIT TO BATAVIA ICE FACILITY

(Rochester, N.Y.)—Today, Congressman Joe Morelle released the following statement after visiting the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility in Batavia, New York:

“Today, I sat across the table from Omar Ramos-Jimenez at the Batavia Processing Center. He kept saying again and again that he just wanted to go home. Omar’s home is not Mexico — it is Rochester. His family is here. His community is here.

“Omar does not deserve this treatment. He is not a flight risk, and he is not a danger to our community. He is a husband, a father, a worker, a neighbor, and a human being. While I was able to sit across from him, look him in the eye, and speak with him directly, his family has not been given that same basic comfort. When they see him, they are separated by glass. He cannot hug his wife. 

“This is not what the American people were promised. Despite the Trump Administration's claims, this is not about targeting murderers, rapists, or violent criminals. This is about a man who has lived here for decades, worked hard, paid taxes, raised a family, and tried to live the American Dream. Omar is exactly the kind of person we should want in our community, and I am ashamed that the federal government would do this to someone like him. I will continue rejecting an immigration agenda built on fear, cruelty, and division. Omar deserves fairness, transparency, dignity, and the basic humanity we would expect for any of our neighbors.”

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