A Democratic congressman “personally requested” to meet with a criminal gangbanger and several other illegal migrants with serious rap sheets during a detention facility tour, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Amid a Friday visit to the Farmville Detention Center — an immigration detention center in central Virginia — Democratic Virginia Rep. Don Beyer personally requested to meet with several illegal migrant detainees with heinous criminals rap sheets, DHS exclusively shared with the Daily Caller News Foundation. One of the individuals Beyer asked to meet with was Ricardo Hernando, an 18th Street gang member previously convicted of parental kidnapping, abduction by force, burglary to commit armed larceny and a slate of other crimes.
The 18th Street gang, also known as Barrio 18, is a massive criminal syndicate originating in Los Angeles that boasts tens of thousands of members across the U.S., Mexico and Central America, according to the Department of Justice. The gang largely takes in revenue from drug distribution, and its members have been convicted of an endless number of crimes, such as homicide, drive-by shootings and robberies.
“Congressman Beyer personally requested to meet with an 18th street gang member, drug trafficker, and repeat DUI offender who are in our country illegally,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated in a public comment shared with the DCNF. “He continues to do the bidding of dangerous criminal illegal aliens that endanger his own constituents.”
A spokesperson for Beyer’s office did not respond to a request for comment from the DCNF.
Ricardo Hernando Menendez. Image courtesy of the Department of Homeland Security.
“When will Congressman Beyer meet with the American victims of these illegal aliens’ violent crimes?” McLaughlin continued.
In a statement to WRIC, a local news outlet, Beyer claimed that “maybe as many as three quarters” of the detainees only have a “civil reason” for being at the detention facility, according to a conversation he had with the warden. The Virginia lawmaker also met with other detainees who apparently had no criminal record, according to WRIC.
However, DHS pushed back on this claim, stating that 66% of the Farmville Detention Center detainees have been charged or convicted of crimes in the U.S., with this figure not even including possible criminal charges in their home countries.
In addition to meeting with Menendez, the Democratic lawmaker also met with Carlos Amaya, an MS-13 gangbanger convicted of four counts of assault and battery and three counts of gang participation, according to DHS. Beyer also met with Dennis Hernandez Medina, an illegal migrant convicted of possession and distribution of drugs, and Kevin Mark Cash, an illegal migrant convicted of drunk driving and two counts of reckless driving.
Democrats across the country are working overtime to stymie the Trump administration’s illegal immigration crackdown, with tensions escalating over immigration detention centers particularly. On July 30, a dozen Democratic lawmakers filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in a bid to gain unfettered access to migrant detention centers. The lawsuit is currently playing out in federal court in Washington, D.C.
Democrats across the country are working overtime to stymie the Trump administration’s illegal immigration crackdown, with tensions escalating over immigration detention centers particularly. On July 30, a dozen Democratic lawmakers filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in a bid to gain unfettered access to migrant detention centers. The lawsuit is currently playing out in federal court in Washington, D.C.
“Congressman Beyer recently exercised his lawful authority to conduct oversight of ICE facilities in Virginia with a visit to the Farmville Detention Center,” Aaron Fritschner, a spokesman for Beyer’s office, stated to the DCNF. “As part of his efforts to assess conditions at the facility, Rep. Beyer requested meetings with a number of detainees there, including several individuals he was informed have been held for long periods in segregated confinement, have recently experienced mental health crises, or have seen long delays in getting medical treatment for serious health conditions.”
“Federal regulations require minimum standards of care for all detainees, and unfortunately the medical resources at this facility were clearly woefully inadequate to meet those standards,” Fritschner continued. “Improving these conditions would be a far better use of time for the staff of the Department of Homeland Security than attacking Members of Congress for doing their jobs by engaging in oversight of the Executive Branch.”
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to include comment from Beyer’s office.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact [email protected].
