Democrats hit with ICE 'photo op' backlash after staging sit-in at Trump detention facility
A group of Maryland Democrats is getting skewered for a 'photo op' gone wrong after getting denied entry to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility.
The lawmakers were visiting an ICE center in Baltimore when they began posting on social media about not being allowed inside.
Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen slammed Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for 'lies' that they were not allowed to tour the facility.
'We did request a visit but we didn't need to—they're required by law to let us conduct oversight,' the senator posted on X alongside a video of him explaining to a federal employee that they were supposed to given entry. 'When I read the law to an ICE official, she said they're no longer allowing ANY tours, regardless of notice,' he continued. 'So this is BS, plain and simple.'
Van Hollen, who previously caught headlines for meeting with suspected MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia - a deported and returned migrant who is the subject of a high-profile legal case against the Trump administration - was joined by five other Maryland Democrats.
The state's other senator, Angela Alsobrooks, and Reps. Glenn Ivey, Kweisi Mfume, Johnny Olszewski and Sarah Elfreth were also locked out of the ICE office.
They were quickly ridiculed for their failed attempt.
'Democrats are sitting outside of an ICE facility and demanding to be let in,' Tennessee Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn reacted to the stunt. 'They sat on their hands while illegals poured into our country, now they are trying to make illegal legal.'
From left to right: Maryland Democrats Rep. Olszewski, Rep. Elfreth, a staffer, Rep. Mfume, Sen. Van Hollen and Rep. Ivey
After the lawmakers were denied entry they hosted a press conference
Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, right, speaks with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran citizen who was living in Maryland and deported to El Salvador by the Trump administration, in a hotel restaurant in San Salvador, El Salvador, Thursday, April 17, 2025
'Here are the Democrats who staged a 'sit-in' at an ICE facility in Maryland for a photo-op,' Paul Zoell posted on X with a picture of the lawmakers. 'It explains why Democrats have a 19 percent approval rating. If they keep this childish behavior up their own parents won't vote for them.'
The conservative Libs of Tiktok account wrote: 'Democrat delegation including Senator Chris Van Hollen protest outside an ICE facility in an effort to gain entry. This might be the most pathetic thing I've seen all year.'
A picture posted by Alsobrooks shows some of the lawmakers looking dejected while sitting on the floor outside of the ICE office's door.
Following their failed attempt at entry, the Democrats held a press conference where they decried ICE and DHS for lacking transparency.
Democrats in both chambers of Congress have been making unannounced visits to migrant detention centers and federal immigration offices since President Donald Trump took office earlier this year.
In May, for example, a number of New Jersey Democrats, including Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, clashed with federal authorities at a migrant detention center called Delaney Hall.
Baraka was detained during the protest for 'trespassing' after refusing to leave after being ordered to.
New Jersey Democrat Rep. LaMonica McIver was indicted over the brawl with ICE agents.
Migrants descending from a Colombian Air Force plane after being deported from the U.S. in Bogota in January
Congresswoman LaMonica McIver (circled in red) got into a heated clash with law enforcement officers outside Newark ICE center Delaney Hall on May 9
The congresswoman was slapped with federal charges alleging she impeded and interfered with immigration officers as they sought to arrest Newark Mayor Baraka on May 9.
Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey and Trump ally Alina Habba announced the grand jury indictment in a post on X at the time.
'While people are free to express their views for or against particular policies, they must not do so in a manner that endangers law enforcement and the communities those officers serve,' Habba wrote.
McIver has pleaded not guilty to the charges with her trial scheduled for November.
