February 02, 2019 - 1:32 PM
NEW YORK - The Latest on conditions at a federal jail in New York City where inmates have gone without heat and power for several days. (all times local):
4:30 p.m.
The federal Bureau of Prisons says work to restore power to a jail in New York City where inmates say they have been without heat and electricity for a week will be completed by Monday.
The bureau said in a statement Saturday that a new electrical panel is being installed at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn after a "partial power outage" due to a fire in the switch gear room.
U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez says she visited the jail with other elected officials Saturday and the heat was uneven and sporadic. She said the inmates had no light in their cells and they "are very angry and complaining."
Protesters including a brass band rallied outside while Velazquez and other elected officials toured the jail.
Velazquez said fellow New York Democratic Congress members Jerry Nadler and Carolyn Maloney joined her Saturday along with city and state lawmakers.
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12 p.m.
A congresswoman who visited a federal detention centre in New York City where inmates have been stuck in cold, dark cells for days says it was "surreal" to hear the inmates banging on the walls.
Rep. Nydia Velazquez visited the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn on Friday after seeing news reports that hundreds of inmates there have spent the past week largely without heat, power or the ability to communicate with their attorneys or families.
Velazquez says she was not allowed to speak to the inmates but was allowed access to common areas and showers. The Democrat says she and other elected officials plan to return to the facility Saturday and this time she hopes to speak to inmates.
Jail officials have not responded to emails requesting comment.
News from © The Associated Press, 2019