Congresswoman Frederica Wilson took a tour of the Krome Detention Center, the embattled immigration detention center in Miami which is the oldest in the United States, on Thursday after weeks of complaints from family members of those inside.
But in a news conference afterwards, she said she felt that what she saw was a scene set just for her.
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WATCH HEREOver the last month we have been bringing you stories from family members citing inhumane conditions, including those of a Ukranian man who died in February after getting sick in the detention center.
And in March, testimonials from dozens of family members reported similar conditions. One Florida woman described to NBC6: "They are being treated like dogs. There’s no AC, everybody is kind of sick in there, God knows what they have, there’s no medical attention, much less give them privileges to a bathroom.”
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Those sentiments led to protests, and in April, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava called on the Trump administration to allow her to tour the facility.
Wilson got an exclusive look on Thursday. Cameras were not allowed inside the detention center during her tour.
"I wanted to see where were these dangerous people that they had picked up off the street and put them in a detention center? I didn't see that. I saw hard working men," she said at a news conference outside the facility after the tour.
She said agents at the detention center told her that a large structure built in just 14 days and able to hold more than 400 people would be opening on Friday to help with overcrowding inside of the facility. And she said they stated they were ready to build more.
Wilson said while she didn't see people sleeping on the floor or visibly ill, she saw significantly less people than what she anticipated.
"I am positive that they took people out today so I wouldn't see it," she alleged outside the center. "I went inside every place, I went in—but this is not my first rodeo."
As far as the claims of poor cleanliness, Wilson believes that was also, literally, covered up.
"Well it was like someone went in their yesterday and put on a whole new coat of fresh paint. You could even smell the paint," she said.
In response to the allegations, Field Office Director Juan Agudelo for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Miami stated: “What the Congresswoman saw today was not staged, and any allegation that it was is simply not true. What Congresswoman Wilson saw today is what ICE does on a daily basis. Ensuring the safety, security, and well-being of individuals in our custody is a top priority at ICE."
They further stated that to help with overcrowding they are transferring detainees to other facilities with capacity, expediting case processing and coordinating with other law enforcement agencies.
