Maryland senators demand answers after video shows crowded conditions inside Baltimore ICE processing facility downtown

Video prompts renewed scrutiny of downtown Baltimore ICE holding rooms

A video recorded inside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing area in downtown Baltimore has triggered fresh demands from Maryland’s U.S. senators for detailed information about detention conditions and the length of time people are being held there. The footage, narrated in Spanish, shows dozens of men sitting and lying on a hard floor in close quarters, several wrapped in emergency-style foil blankets.

The facility is located inside the George H. Fallon Federal Building, a site that has been the subject of repeated oversight disputes and litigation over how ICE uses short-term holding rooms. Maryland lawmakers have previously sought access to tour the space and speak with detainees as part of congressional oversight.

Federal response cites weather-related transfer delays

Federal officials attributed the crowding seen in the video to operational disruptions caused by winter weather, which they said hindered scheduled transfers from temporary processing rooms to longer-term detention facilities. Under this explanation, people remained in Baltimore longer than planned due to limits on transportation and flight operations.

However, the narrator in the video alleges that some individuals had been held for more than 10 days, without bathing and while experiencing hunger. Those claims were not confirmed by federal authorities in publicly available statements responding to the video.

Senators reference time limits and prior staff observations

ICE standards generally limit how long detainees should be held in short-term facilities, and a policy waiver has allowed extended stays of up to 72 hours under certain circumstances. In an April 10, 2025 letter to the Department of Homeland Security and ICE leadership, Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks asked the administration to stop holding people in temporary rooms beyond the 12-hour standard and requested specific explanations for prolonged detentions.

The senators’ letter described concerns relayed to them about overcrowded cells with no bed space, inadequate food service, and the absence of on-site medical staff. The letter also stated that staffers visiting the Baltimore holding rooms in March observed detainees being held for about a day and a half on average during a defined period, exceeding both what the facility was described as being equipped for and the stated standard for temporary holding.

Facility has been central to oversight disputes and a lawsuit

The Baltimore holding rooms have been cited in a lawsuit alleging prolonged stays and inhumane conditions, including inadequate bedding and limited access to basic necessities. Lawmakers have also protested limited access for oversight, including prior efforts to tour the facility that ended with members being denied entry before a later visit took place.

• What is known: the video shows crowding and people on the floor in a cinderblock room with emergency blankets.
• What is disputed: how long individuals are being held and whether basic needs are consistently met.
• What lawmakers are seeking: facility capacity figures, average length of stay, and procedures to ensure compliance with ICE standards.

The developing controversy centers on whether a facility intended for short stays is functioning as a de facto detention site during periods of increased enforcement activity and transfer delays.

As of the latest statements tied to the video, federal agencies had not publicly provided facility-by-facility figures on detainee counts or average lengths of stay for the Baltimore holding rooms.