WASHINGTON – Democratic lawmakers clashed with the head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement over funding,deaths while in federal custodyand information the agency shares with the public while in pursuit of one ofPresident Donald Trump's most high-profile second-term priorities. Rep. Lauren Underwood of Illinois, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations subcommittee on homeland security, accused the agency May 14 ofspending funds it doesn't havewhile still falling short of unrealistic deportation goals. Congress has approved funding for 41,500 detention beds but ICE is detaining 52,000 people, which could lead the agency to running out of money within two months. Underwood calledthe goal of removing 1 million people per yearan "incredibly risky strategy that sets you up for failure." More:Trump has cracked down on immigration and the border. At what cost? "This administration is cashing checks it does not have to reach questionable goals it cannot meet," Underwood said. Todd Lyons, ICE's acting director, denied the agency would run out of funding. Money could potentially be shifted from other agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency or Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Lyons said the agency's goal is to have 60,000 detention beds after the anticipated shift in funding. "ICE will not run out of money," Lyons said. Congressional oversight of ICE represented another conflict with the agency. Underwood and Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, each noted statutory language that allows lawmakers to inspect ICE detention facilities without prior announcement. "You cannot accept federal funding and shut the door on oversight," Underwood said. Ascuffle outside an ICE detention centerin New Jersey on May 9 led to the arrest of NewarkMayor Ras Barakaon a misdemeanor charge of trespassing. His arrest came as three House lawmakers – New Jersey Democratic Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman, LaMonica McIver and Rob Menendez –made an unannounced visitto inspect the privately run center called Delaney Hall. More:White House touts nearly 140,000 deportations, but data says roughly half actually deported Interim U.S. Attorney Alina Habba earlier said in a social media post that Baraka trespassed and "ignored multiple warnings from Homeland Security Investigations to remove himself." Lyons said ICE staffers understand lawmakers can show up unannounced. But he asked lawmakers to provide identification and go through screening before entering the buildings. "We have nothing to hide," Lyons said. "ICE will be fully transparent." Congress has required ICE to publicly post information since 2018 when detainees die in custody. But Underwood and Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, each asked how many detainees had died since the Trump administration took office Jan. 20 because the public postings were delayed 90 days. Escobar called overcrowding and treatment in detention centers "tantamount to human rights abuses." "What we've seen under the Trump administration should send chills down the spine of every American," Escobar said. Nine detainees died in custody, Lyons said. He pledged to post information about the deaths publicly on the agency's website. "We do conduct a thorough investigation of all of those," Lyons said. The hearing comes at a time ofheightened immigration enforcement, which has led toprotestsaround the country. Border crossings have slowed to a trickle. The White House touted 140,000 deportations during Trump's first 100 days in office, althoughICE reported removingabout 57,000 during that period. ICE has arrested 88,000 people this year, two-thirds of those since Trump was inaugurated, Lyons told lawmakers. The agency's goal is to remove 1.1 million while prioritizing those convicted of crimes, he said. But lawmakers acknowledged the challenges of finding undocumented immigrants and then detaining them before deportation. "We're still prioritizing the worst of the worst," Lyons said. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Trump official confirms 9 detainee deaths in ICE custody
