Rachel Campos-Duffy, co-host of "Fox & Friends Weekend," recently provided an exclusive insight into the operations of Delaney Hall, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Newark, New Jersey.
This facility was the subject of a recent incursion by Democratic lawmakers.
Campos-Duffy, during her Monday appearance on "Fox & Friends," lauded the cleanliness and amenities of the facility. "They have nothing to be ashamed of. This facility is so clean. It has all kinds of recreation facilities outdoor soccer fields, weight equipment, domino tables. It also has telephones everywhere with signs next to them of the phone numbers to reach their consulates," she reported.
She further highlighted the availability of legal facilities, computers, and webcams, and noted that the detainees' sleeping quarters were not locked. "The facility actually looks like a high school, actually looks better than a lot of high schools, and a lot [of] our own prisons for American citizens could take a lesson from this facility," she added.
According to Fox News, Acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons guided Campos-Duffy through the facility, revealing that over 75% of the detainees were "felons," either convicted or awaiting charges. The crimes committed by these individuals ranged from rape to murder to burglary, among others.
Campos-Duffy also shed light on the autonomy granted to the detainees, stating that they have the option to self-deport. "Everywhere you go, in Spanish and English, there are signs up that say, do you want to go home? And it gives you a phone number that you can call to self-deport, or you can also just tell somebody in the facility, 'Hey, I'm ready to be done with this. I just want to go home to my country.' If you do that, the American government through ICE will arrange within 48 hours a free flight and $1,000 so you can get out," she explained.
This revelation from Campos-Duffy comes in the wake of a recent incident where Democratic lawmakers demanded entry to the facility for an "oversight visit." Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, a leading Democratic gubernatorial candidate, was arrested for trespassing during this incident but was released a few hours later.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released a video showing a state representative, LaMonica McIver, allegedly shoving past a DHS agent. McIver, however, denies the accusation, stating, "There's no video that supports me body slamming anyone. We were simply there to do our job, therefore oversight visit."
Following the confrontation, the lawmakers were granted access to the ICE facility. Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Jake Auchincloss has since called on DHS to "release all the footage" to allow the public to form their own opinions.
A Pew Research Center poll conducted earlier this year found that a majority of Americans support the deportation of illegal immigrants, albeit for varying reasons. While 32% of U.S. adults believe all illegal immigrants should be deported, 16% oppose any deportations. However, approximately half of U.S. adults believe that at least some illegal immigrants should be deported, though they could not agree on the criteria for deportation.
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