On Aug. 5, Reps. Madeleine Dean, Summer Lee and Chris Deluzio sent joint letters to GEO Group, ICE Acting Director David Venturella and DHS officials demanding an overhaul of the Moshannon Valley Processing Center after witnessing what they call "systemic failures." The lawmakers cited dangerous medical-staff shortages, missed mandatory 12-hour medical screenings, and firsthand reports of denied prenatal care and an alleged sexual assault. They detailed three detainee deaths in 2023 and 2025 and raised conflict-of-interest concerns about Venturella’s past ties to GEO. Congressmembers requested extensive records and corrective plans and gave agencies 14 days to respond.
Pennsylvania Democrats Demand Overhaul of Moshannon Valley ICE Detention Center After Unsafe Conditions Reported
After the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good by federal immigration agents (ICE), communities across the U.S. areprotestingagainst Trump's surge of immigration enforcement actions.Pictured here, Demonstrators gather for a protest calling for the removal of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Jan. 30, 2026 in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Protests were held across the United States in response to ICE enforcement activity.(Tom Brenner, Getty Images)
Three Democratic members of Congress from Pennsylvania on Aug. 5 sent forceful letters to GEO Group, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director David Venturella, and Sean Conley, Acting Director and Chief Medical Officer of DHS’ Office of Health Security, calling for a comprehensive overhaul of operations at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center — the largest immigration detention facility in the Northeast.
Lawmakers Cite “Systemic Failures”
Representatives Madeleine Dean (Montgomery and Berks Counties), Summer Lee (parts of Allegheny and Westmoreland) and Chris Deluzio (parts of Allegheny and all of Beaver County) described what they say are "systemic failures" at the facility based on visits earlier this year. They reported a dangerous shortage of medical staff, detainees who did not receive mandatory medical screenings within 12 hours of arrival, and other troubling conditions that may violate GEO’s federal contract and federal law.
Deaths And Medical Concerns
The letters summarize three detainee deaths at Moshannon Valley in 2023 and 2025:
- Chaofeng Ge, 32 — died by suicide in 2025 after entering the facility in severe mental distress; lawmakers say he lacked adequate mental-health treatment and a Mandarin translator.
- Frankline Okpu, 37 — died in solitary confinement in 2023 despite having obtained a deferral of removal under the U.N. Convention Against Torture; ICE appealed the deferral.
- Fouad Saeed Abdulkadir, 46 — died in 2025 after reporting severe chest pains.
The members also relayed firsthand accounts from detained women: one who said she was denied prenatal care after bleeding and remained uncertain of her pregnancy status, and another who alleged she had been sexually assaulted while detained.
Privatized Model And Conflict-Of-Interest Concerns
Dean, Deluzio and Lee attribute many of the problems to the facility’s privatized, for-profit management by GEO Group. The letters argue that GEO’s duty to shareholders can incentivize cost cutting in critical areas such as medical staffing, nutrition and translation services.
The lawmakers also raised conflict-of-interest concerns about ICE Acting Director David Venturella, who previously served as a senior GEO executive and remained a consultant through January 2025. Venturella has said he divested GEO stock and recused himself from detention-related contracts, but the letters note he had a consulting agreement with a non-compete clause that could preclude engagement with GEO competitors through 2027.
Restricted Access During Inspections
Lawmakers say unannounced inspections were limited: during a May visit, Deluzio and Lee were not allowed to bring phones inside, facility staff were barred from accompanying them as translators, and staff allegedly rushed representatives away after detainees spoke with them. Deluzio said he was prevented from speaking to a particular detainee, Randy Cordova Flores, and Dean reported similar restrictions during her June visit.
Specific Demands
The letters demand immediate corrective actions and documents, including:
- A plan showing how ICE will enforce compliance with federal law regarding initial medical screenings.
- A revised medical staffing plan and month-by-month staffing records dating back to November 2021.
- A monitoring protocol for federal contract compliance and documentation of any contract violations.
- Employment records and contracts related to David Venturella, plus communications between Venturella and GEO from early 2025 to present.
- Financial records showing compensation paid to Venturella each year and justification for GEO’s 2026 stock buybacks versus medical staffing investments.
The lawmakers gave GEO, ICE and DHS 14 days to respond to their demands.
Context
The letters come amid broader national protests responding to heightened ICE enforcement and fatal confrontations involving federal immigration agents. Large demonstrations took place on Jan. 30, 2026, in several cities, including Washington, D.C., Pensacola, Fla., and multiple college towns.
Finch Walker is the Pittsburgh Connect Reporter for the USA TODAY Network.
Savannah Gritter, 12, holds signs during the "ICE Out Everywhere" protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on January 31, 2026, in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.(GREG LOVETT/PALM BEACH POST)
A federal agent goes to clear a makeshift shield a protester placed over a gas canister during an anti-ICE protest at the Eugene Federal Building on Jan. 30, 2026, in Eugene, Oregon.(Ben Lonergan, The Register-Guard via USA TODAY Network)
Hundreds of people gather to protest ICE at the corner of Palafox and Garden Streets in downtown Pensacola, Florida, on Jan. 30, 2026.(Gregg Pachkowski, Pensacola News Journal via USA TODAY Network)
In an aerial view, demonstrators spell out an SOS signal of distress on a frozen Lake BdeMaka Ska on Jan. 30, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Protesters marched through downtown to protest the deaths of Renee Good on January 7, and Alex Pretti on January 24 by federal immigration agents.(John Moore, Getty Images)
Protesters chant as they march down University Avenue during a Party for Socialism & Liberation–sponsored anti‑ICE demonstration in downtown Gainesville, Fla., on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. The march began at Southwest 13th Street and University Avenue and ended at Bo Diddley Plaza, where participants protested ICE and recent killings in Minnesota.(Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun)
A protestor is shoved by a federal agent after getting face-to-face with the agent, who stood among a line of agents blocking off the federal detention center in Los Angeles, Calif., Friday, Jan. 30, 2026.(Andy Abeyta/The Desert Sun)
People hold signs along PGA Blvd., and Military Trail during the "ICE Out Everywhere" protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on January 31, 2026, in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.(GREG LOVETT/PALM BEACH POST)
Demonstrators march down Walnut Street as Cincinnati Police officers clear traffic during an ICE Out! rally in downtown Cincinnati on Jan. 30, 2026.(Sam Greene, The Enquirer via USA TODAY Network)
Protestors clash with police during a "National Shutdown" protest against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Los Angeles on Jan. 30, 2026. Donald Trump's border chief said Jan. 29, 2026 that some federal agents could be withdrawn from Minneapolis, the northern US city that has become the flashpoint for the president's immigration crackdown. The Trump administration, facing a public backlash over the shooting deaths of two Americans by federal agents in Minneapolis, also eased immigration operations in the northeastern state of Maine.(PATRICK T. FALLON, AFP via Getty Images)
Penn High School students participate in a walkout protesting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Mishawaka, Indiana.(MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE)
People hold signs along PGA Blvd., and Military Trail during the "ICE Out Everywhere" protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on January 31, 2026, in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.(GREG LOVETT/PALM BEACH POST)
Federal agents drive out protesters from the grounds of the Eugene Federal Building on Jan. 30, 2026, in Eugene, Oregon.(Ben Lonergan, The Register-Guard via USA TODAY Network)
Protesters gather at City Hall in response to recent actions by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, commonly referred to as "ICE," and the presence of Flock cameras in the community and Indiana University campus, in Bloomington, Indiana, on Jan. 30, 2026.(Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times)
People partake in a "National Shutdown" protest against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Los Angeles on Jan. 30, 2026. Donald Trump's border chief said Jan. 29, 2026 that some federal agents could be withdrawn from Minneapolis, the northern US city that has become the flashpoint for the president's immigration crackdown. The Trump administration, facing a public backlash over the shooting deaths of two Americans by federal agents in Minneapolis, also eased immigration operations in the northeastern state of Maine.(FREDERIC J. BROWN, AFP via Getty Images)
A Penn High School student confronts a man in a car line at the school who was shouting, "Let's go ICE!" as students were marching past during a walkout protesting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Mishawaka, Indiana.(MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE)
People partake in a "National Shutdown" protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Boston, Massachusetts on Jan. 30, 2026. Donald Trump's border chief said Jan. 29, 2026 that some federal agents could be withdrawn from Minneapolis, the northern US city that has become the flashpoint for the president's immigration crackdown. The Trump administration, facing a public backlash over the shooting deaths of two Americans by federal agents in Minneapolis, also eased immigration operations in the northeastern state of Maine.(JOSEPH PREZIOSO, AFP via Getty Images)
People hold a photo of Alex Pretti, who was shot dead by federal agents, during a protest in Minneapolis on Jan. 30, 2026.(Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images)
People hold a photo of Renee Good, who was shot dead by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, during a "National Shutdown" protest in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Jan. 30, 2026. Donald Trump's border chief said Jan. 29, 2026 that some federal agents could be withdrawn from Minneapolis, the northern US city that has become the flashpoint for the president's immigration crackdown. The Trump administration, facing a public backlash over the shooting deaths of two Americans by federal agents in Minneapolis, also eased immigration operations in the northeastern state of Maine.(ROBERTO SCHMIDT, AFP via Getty Images)
Protestors clash with police during a "National Shutdown" protest against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Los Angeles on Jan. 30, 2026. Donald Trump's border chief said Jan. 29, 2026 that some federal agents could be withdrawn from Minneapolis, the northern US city that has become the flashpoint for the president's immigration crackdown. The Trump administration, facing a public backlash over the shooting deaths of two Americans by federal agents in Minneapolis, also eased immigration operations in the northeastern state of Maine.(PATRICK T. FALLON, AFP via Getty Images)
Students walked out or skipped school to join others in the student-led ICE Out protest in downtown Knoxville, Tenn., on Jan. 30, 2026.(Brianna Paciorka, News Sentinel via USA TODAY Network)
A protestor reacts to being hit by tactical gas used by federal agents in Los Angeles, Calif., Friday, Jan. 30, 2026.(Andy Abeyta/The Desert Sun)
LAPD officers attempt to clear protestors during 'National Shutdown" anti-ICE protests on Jan. 30, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. Across the country, thousands participated in similar protests as the nation continues to react to events in Minneapolis, where two people were killed in confrontations with ICE and other government immigration agents.(Mario Tama, Getty Images)
Thousands of protestors begin to march away from city hall in Los Angeles, Calif., Friday, Jan. 30, 2026.(Andy Abeyta/The Desert Sun)
Demonstrators gather in front of the Hamilton County Courthouse during an ICE Out! rally in downtown Cincinnati on Jan. 30, 2026.(Sam Greene, The Enquirer via USA TODAY Network)
Hacks actress Megan Stalter holds up a protest sign outside of city hall in Los Angeles, Calif., Friday, Jan. 30, 2026.(Andy Abeyta/The Desert Sun)
Protesters gather at the Rhode Island State House on Jan. 30, 2026 as part of the nationwide 'ICE Out' national strike.(Savana Dunning/The Providence Journal)
People protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration policies outside the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Los Angeles, California, Jan. 30, 2026.(Jill Connelly, Reuters)
A demonstrator reacts in front of Los Angeles Police Department officers standing guard during a protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration policies, near the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Los Angeles, Jan. 30, 2026.(Jill Connelly, Reuters)
A Los Angeles Police Department helicopter circles the area over protestors outside of the federal detention center in Los Angeles, Calif., Friday, Jan. 30, 2026.(Andy Abeyta/The Desert Sun)
Demonstrators gesture towards Los Angeles Police Department officers approaching them during a protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration policies, near the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Los Angeles, Jan. 30, 2026.(Jill Connelly, Reuters)
People march down the road during a protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S, President Donald Trump's immigration policies outside the CoreCivic ICE detention center in Houston, Texas, Jan. 30, 2026.(Antranik Tavitian, Reuters)
Protesters gather at City Hall in Bloomington, Indiana, on Jan. 30, 2026, in response to recent immigration enforcement actions by the government.(MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE)
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pennsylvania, is a former democratic socialist who still sides with the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.
The logo of the Homeland Security Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Detention and Removal unit is seen 10 May 2007 the Willacy Detention Cention in Raymondville, Texas.
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