Underwood Details Systemic Issues During Inspections of ICE Detention and Processing Facilities in Chicago, Lombard, and Bunker Hill, Indiana
BUNKER HILL, IN. — Today, Representative Lauren Underwood of the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee conducted an oversight visit with staff to the Miami Correctional Facility in Bunker Hill, Indiana, one of the primary facilities used to hold Illinoisians during Operation Midway Blitz. Yesterday, Underwood and staff conducted oversight visits to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Chicago Field Office, located in downtown Chicago, and the ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Chicago Field Office, located in Lombard, Illinois. These visits build on her recent inspection of the Broadview Processing Center following widespread community outrage at Operation Midway Blitz’s constitutional violations and ongoing questions about federal immigration enforcement practices across Illinois and the nation.
Underwood received briefings from leadership of all three facilities and toured the premises, including intake rooms, holding spaces, storage areas, and officer work areas. The visits occurred as dozens of constituents across her community continue to report being detained, confronted, or questioned by federal immigration enforcement personnel. For months, the Illinois delegation received no timely responses from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to basic inquiries regarding the safety or location of constituents impacted by the operation.
“For months, the Trump Administration has trampled over our Constitution and failed to answer even the most basic questions about how they are conducting immigration enforcement,” said Underwood. “My visits this week exposed serious breakdowns in how people are tracked, cared for, and treated across ICE facilities. People deserve to know the truth about what is happening in our communities, how federal resources are being used in their name, and how these so-called immigration enforcement operations are being run.”
Miami Correctional Facility (Bunker Hill, IN)
The Miami Correctional Facility is a state prison for adult male inmates located on the site of the former Grissom Joint Air Reserve Base. In August 2025, DHS announced that it had contracted with the state of Indiana to house up to 1,000 detained migrants at this facility using funding from the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” under the 287(g) program, which authorizes ICE to delegate certain immigration enforcement functions to state and local law enforcement entities. Because Illinois state law prohibits ICE detention facilities, ICE houses Illinoisans at out-of-state facilities including Miami.
Underwood inspected the portions of the facility used for ICE detention, where 550 people are currently detained. During her visit, Underwood spoke with seven detainees. Five of the seven reported problems with ICE’s Online Detainee Locator System that delayed their families’ ability to find them, despite staff’s claim that detainees should show up in the system within a couple of hours. Two reported experiencing delays in accessing medical care even after requesting it. For example, ICE staff claimed that medicine refills are available upon request, while detainees reported that refills can take up to two months. Another detainee reported that ICE told him they had lost all of his belongings, including money and photographs of deceased family. Detainees also reported difficulty accessing basic hygiene needs such as nail clippers.
Underwood was told that breakfast is served from 4:00 – 6:00 AM, but some detainees have reported sleep disruptions from being served breakfast as early as 3:30 AM. Underwood was told lunch is from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM and dinner is served after 3:00 PM. Prison staff claimed that detainees get one hour of outside recreation per day, five days a week. Staff informed Underwood that detainees can play soccer or basketball outside and basketball, foosball, or pool inside during adverse weather events. The only shoes provided by the prison are plastic clogs, which are worn indoors, outdoors (even in winter), and in showers. Detainees reported that these shoes often wore out quickly and failed to keep their feet dry. Underwood was told that detainees have the ability to turn the lights in their cells on and off, but they did not function properly when Underwood tested them.
There are weekly Catholic, general Christian, and Muslim services in English and one weekly Catholic Mass in Spanish. ICE does not permit detainees to lead their own services, so detainees seeking other religious services are dependent on outside volunteers. There is currently a need for Hindu, Sikh, and Buddhist volunteers to lead services. Religious literature may be donated to the facility, and staff report high demand for Spanish-language Bibles and other Spanish-language materials.
Prison staff informed Underwood that they contract with Centurion Health for medical care for detainees, which has subcontractors for different types of care. The infirmary is the only part of the Miami complex shared between ICE and the Indiana Department of Corrections. The facility has two dentists, one psychiatrist, one registered nurse, one certified nursing assistant, and sometimes one licensed practical nurse. There are four dental chairs and four infirmary rooms with six hospital beds in each one, plus two isolation rooms for patients with communicable diseases. Underwood was told that detainees should receive a medical, dental, and mental health assessment within their first 14 days. In medical emergencies, detainees are transported to Dukes Memorial Hospital in Peru, Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne, Community Howard Regional Health in Kokomo for cardiac care, or hospitals in Indianapolis if needed.
Attorney consultations are mostly conducted via video call, with some in-person visits. There is a private area available for detainees to meet with attorneys, but attorneys must make an appointment to reserve the room for a virtual meeting. This room is also used for detainees to meet with consulate representatives from their home countries, and for credible fear interviews conducted by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officials. There is also a room where detainees are supposed to be able to meet with a counselor or caseworker, but one was not present during Underwood’s visit. There is also a courtroom onsite. Judges are responsible for arranging translation if needed for onsite court proceedings. Deportation flights are conducted three times a week out of Gary, IN, Indianapolis, IN, or Kansas City, MO.
Detainees can file a paper form to request access to a “law library” that does not contain a book collection. Prison staff shared with Underwood that detainees can access LexisNexis on a tablet issued to all detainees; Underwood was told that ICE determines what can be accessed on the tablet. The “law library” has a printer and 11 computers without internet access, which can be used to write letters and fill out forms. Staff claimed that stamps are available for purchase at the commissary, which detainees can use to send mail, and that detainees can ask staff for assistance locating and printing specific forms. However, detainees reported that they were unable to purchase stamps or envelopes, or to print or email legal materials needed to support their cases. Staff onsite were not familiar with the privacy waiver required for Congressional casework, but Underwood secured their commitment to make this form available to detainees in the “law library.”
The telephone vendor for this facility is Talton Communications. Detainees are assigned a personal identification number (PIN), which is required to call their families or attorneys, and it takes one day to get the PIN. There is a fee for calls which can be paid by cash, card, or money order; funds must be uploaded to a prepaid card through Numi Financial. Detainees can request phone numbers, such as for consulates, and can make international calls. Families who wish to call the facility should dial 866-348-6231.
ERO (Enforcement and Removal) Chicago Field Office (Chicago, IL)
The ERO Chicago Field Office serves as the ICE ERO hub for Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Missouri, Kentucky, and Kansas, overseeing immigration enforcement activities across this region. It is intended as an administrative and operational field office rather than a detention center, but there have been reports of overcrowding as it has been used to hold larger numbers of people during Operation Midway Blitz. There are 50-60 ICE ERO officers at this office currently, in addition to support staff. Underwood was told an additional 60 will be starting next week. Security personnel employed by Allied Universal are also contracted to watch camera footage of holding cells onsite and to patrol the entrance of the building (which houses other government agencies as well). Underwood was told that the office will soon expand into the 5th floor of the building to add more cubicles. This increase is part of ICE ERO’s goal of hiring 805 new officers across the six-state region. Underwood was told that new hires at ICE ERO have a failure rate of up to 30% due to academic issues, physical fitness, failed background checks, and injuries, and that ICE Academy abbreviated its training program from 60 days to 40 days earlier this year.
Underwood inspected holding areas and found inconsistencies in the furnishings and informational resources available in different units. For example, a female unit did not contain an informational poster on how to file a report under the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), while a male unit did. Underwood was told by ICE ERO staff that families with children may be held at this location. Staff reported that detainees are not held overnight at this facility. Detainees are typically transferred from this facility to Broadview in the afternoon, around 3-4 PM.
ICE ERO staff informed Underwood that in medical emergencies, staff call 911. First responders choose where to transport detainees, often Rush University Medical Center. ICE ERO staff allow prescription medication to be brought to detainees if it is in a prescription bottle labeled with the detainee’s name.
ICE ERO staff claimed that detainees are supposed to appear in the agency’s Online Detainee Locator System as soon as they are booked. Underwood examined paperwork instructing detainees to provide the full names of family members accompanying them for appointments; staff alleged that this information is recorded but not used for any purpose. This raised concerns about potential tracking and targeting of mixed status families, contrary to the DHS’s purported focus on targeting violent criminals.
Detainee phone calls are monitored, including calls with attorneys and family. The only stated exceptions are calls to hotlines (such as a sexual assault hotline or pro bono attorney access). Phone calls cost money which can be paid by debit or collect. The telephone vendor for this facility is Talton Communication. Translation services are provided over the phone by Lionbridge.
ICE ERO staff reported that the Chicago regional immigration court docket currently has 260,000 cases pending, with 11,000-12,000 people enrolled in Alternatives to Detention (ATD).
ICE HSI Chicago Field Office (Lombard, IL)
The HSI Chicago Field Office oversees ICE HSI operations across Illinois, Indiana, and the southern half of Wisconsin. ICE HSI employs over 400 staff across this tristate area, including 100 new hires this year. ICE HSI officers previously focused on investigating crimes of exploitation, such as child exploitation, sex trafficking, and human trafficking, but under the Trump Administration, their time has been diverted from that mission to an immigration enforcement mission. Funding from the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” has been used to rehire 40 retired ICE HSI agents for the sole purpose of immigration enforcement. Prior to Operation Midway Blitz, about 10% of HSI agents joined ERO officers in the field; during Operation Midway Blitz that proportion has risen to 30%, with about 25 HSI agents in the field each day. HSI investigates cases involving alleged assaults on ERO officers; cases involving alleged assaults on Border Patrol officers are split between HSI and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Underwood inspected holding cells and was informed by ICE HSI staff that families with children may be held at this location. ICE HSI staff informed Underwood that detainees are not held overnight at this location; instead, they are either released, taken to appear before a federal judge at the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, or transferred to the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in Chicago or the Cook County Department of Corrections. ICE HSI staff informed Underwood that there is no onsite medical care; in medical emergencies, staff call 911.
ICE HSI staff reported that people detained at this facility do not appear in ICE’s Online Detainee Locator System. This facility does not have phones for detainees to use. Detainees may make calls from their personal cell phones, which are monitored by an HSI agent. Detainees are only given the opportunity to make a phone call upon request.
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