PITTSBURGH — U.S. Rep. Summer Lee sent a congressional inquiry last week to Immigration and Customs Enforcement demanding the agency provide justification for the arrest of a man in Brentwood.

Lee, D-Swissvale, said the man, Maklim Gomez Escalante, 35, had a valid work permit and no criminal record when he was arrested in mid-January. He is now being held in Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Phillipsburg, Pa., the largest immigration detention center in the northeast.

The congresswoman said in a news release that Escalante's wife learned from another detainee at Moshannon on Feb. 2 that her husband was hospitalized after experiencing stroke-like symptoms. He has since been returned to Moshannon but is experiencing partial facial paralysis, according to the statement.

Lee's inquiry into Escalante's case comes after an across-the-aisle effort by Pennsylvania lawmakers led to the release of an Oakmont resident, Jose Flores, earlier this month who, like Escalante, was arrested by ICE despite having a valid work visa and no criminal record.

Both the arrests of Flores and Escalante sparked outrage across their respective communities as state lawmakers have been increasingly seeking answers about immigrants in Western Pennsylvania who were arrested without criminal records.

"We have seen, in other cases, that congressional inquiries and public pressure can make a difference," Lee said in a statement to the Post-Gazette on Friday. "The release of Jose Flores offered a measure of relief to his family and community, and it underscores why we continue to push for transparency and accountability in Escalante's case."

In a statement, DHS assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said Escalante illegally entered the country in 2021 and "will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings," adding that he was hospitalized for two days earlier this month.

"While in ICE custody, [Escalante] began to show signs of stroke-like symptoms and a migraine," McLaughlin said. "He was transferred to the Mount Nittany Hospital on February 2 and subsequently cleared by hospital doctors and returned to the Moshannon Valley Processing Center on February 4."

McLaughlin also said asylum seeker status — which is given to those who come to the U.S. to avoid religious, political, racial or social persecution in their home countries — does not prevent a person from being arrested, and she said that Escalante illegally claimed asylum, although she did not elaborate.

ICE did not respond to requests for information about Flores' release, although on Feb. 7 — hours before Flores was released — an ICE spokesperson told the Post-Gazette that work visas do not allow a person to remain in the country legally.

"Employment authorization does NOT confer any type of legal status in the United States. Flores Lopez remains in ICE custody, pending immigration proceedings," the agency spokesperson said.

In response to a question about whether immigration enforcement is ramping up in Western Pennsylvania — which some advocacy groups have reported — ICE said last week it does not provide information about ongoing operations.

"This is just the beginning," the spokesperson said.

In her statement, Lee criticized ICE for operating "without responsiveness, without transparency, and in far too many cases without good faith engagement with elected representatives" and said the agency's latest statement will do nothing but sow fear.

"When ICE signals that escalated enforcement is 'just the beginning,' it only deepens that fear," she said. "That kind of rhetoric does nothing to make our communities safer. Instead, it terrorizes families, erodes trust, and places lawful asylum seekers and long-time residents alike directly in harm's way."

ICE also declined to provide data on the number of bookings it recorded at its Pittsburgh field office on the South Side through January.

Data analyzed by the Post-Gazette showed more than 800 were booked into the office from January through mid-October last year, an eightfold increase from the year prior. Lee said she has been keeping an eye on what appears to be a growing ICE presence in the region.

"We are aware of increased ICE activity in the broader area, including reports from Brentwood and neighboring communities," Lee said. "My office has been proactive in monitoring these developments, engaging community partners and ensuring families know their rights. What we are hearing from residents is fear. Fear of going to work, fear of taking their children to school, fear of seeking medical care."

As a part of Lee's inquiry into Escalante's arrest, she is demanding answers from ICE to questions about how many people were detained in Pennsylvania's 12th District last month and on what basis they were detained.

She also is asking why ICE agents were not in uniform when they arrested Escalante, why he was denied contact with his wife after receiving medical care, and where his work visa is.

"His family and our community deserve transparency and accountability, and we will not be silent while our neighbors are taken and held without justification," Lee wrote.

Escalante's arrest and ongoing detention closely resembles the situation that played out in Oakmont earlier this month when Flores was arrested.

Both Escalante and Flores held work permits and had no criminal records.

Flores' detention was also met by outrage from some state lawmakers after he was arrested while getting his daughter ready for school.

"I'm demanding answers to basic questions about the arrest and detention of Oakmont resident Jose Flores in front of his 8-year old daughter and other ICE activities in our area last month," U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Fox Chapel, said in a Feb. 4 statement.

The situation also drew the attention of Republican U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick.

"I support enforcing our existing immigration laws, securing the border, and restoring order and effectiveness to our immigration process," McCormick said in Feb. 6 social media post. "My team and I are aware of recent media reports concerning the detainment of Jose Flores by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and we are in contact with and seeking an update on this situation from the Department of Homeland Security."

Two days later, Flores — who was being held in Northern Regional Correctional Facility in Moundsville, W.Va — was released, according to state and federal officials, as well as Oakmont Bakery, where Flores works.

Following Flores' release, McCormick said he will be monitoring the case.

"We welcome this decision," a spokesman for the senator told the Post-Gazette.

Deluzio also celebrated the decision, calling it "great news."

Flores' attorney could not be reached, and ICE did not comment on why Flores was released.

Now, Lee said she hopes she is able to do the same for Escalante.

"Maklim Gomez Escalante is a member of our community who followed the legal process, holds a valid work permit, and has no criminal record," she said. "He should be at home with his family, not sitting in detention, separated from loved ones and wondering whether due process will be honored."

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