Café Escadrille & Burlington ICE Facility Supporting Documentation
The Facts:
- Robert Murray is the owner of Café Escadrille (business and building both).
- Robert Murray, via his company Ten LLC., is the owner of the building operating as an ICE field office and detention center.
- The Town of Burlington Select Board requested to inspect the building.
- ICE refused this request.
- We have an unconfirmed report that Robert Murray worked with ICE lawyers to block the request.
- Under the name Heatwave, we reached out to Robert Murray to ask him to cooperate, but we did not recieve a response.
- Congresspeople allowed into the facility have said that it is unacceptable.
- People who have been detained there tell of horrible conditions.
- The Burlington Select Board filed for a search warrant to inspect conditions within the ICE facility, but was denied.
- Burlington Town Meeting members voted to adopt Article 13, a resolution condemning the activities and conditions at the Burlington ICE facility.
- Murray will make over $2.2 million in rent this year according to the lease.
- The lease requires the tenant to follow laws, including OSHA standards and applicable state and local regulations.
- Charitable giving does not offset the harm of profiting from inhumane detention.
The Documents:
1. Robert Murray owns Cafe Escadrille and Ten LLC.
Robert Murray is a trustee of the Cambridge Financial Group. This document reports his other holdings. He is a 100% owner of both Cafe Escadrille and Ten LLC, which is the owner of 1000 District Ave, the ICE facility.
Click here for the full holdings document.
This information appears on pages 6-8 and is highlighted in the image below.
This document can be obtained directly from bostonfed.org .
Murray is described in some documents as the "manager" of Ten LLC. He is also the manager, but not only the manager. He is the resident agent (person who receives all corporate communications), and "the person authorized to execute … any recordable instrument". He also signed Ten LLC's annual report. The original can be found via a search of the State Secretary's Corporation page.
2. Ten LLC is the owner of the ICE facility at 1000 District Ave, Burlington.
Click here to see a copy of the receipt for the municipal lien certificate, filed by Ten LLC.
3. The Town of Burlington asked to inspect 1000 District Ave.
This statement was made June 23, 2025. We do not know what date the letter was sent.
4. ICE refused the inspection request.
Deputy Field Office Director David Wesling responded to the town's request on July 10, saying that there had been no specific allegations of mistreatment and no changes to the facility's use, so he would not allow an inspection. This was a lie.
By the way, David Wesling is the person responsible for Rümeysa Öztürk being transported outside of Massachusetts against court orders. IN case you forgot what happened to Ms. Öztürk, you can click here to read about the abuse she suffered, and the illegal conduct of ICE in detaining her.
5. Unconfirmed report of cooperation between Murray and ICE
On August 9th, we received an informal communication from a person in the Burlington town government, telling us that Murray's lawyers and ICE's lawyers had collaborated to deny the town access for an inspection. We do not have documentation or a confirmation of this claim.
What we do know is that Murray fought for ICE to be allowed in back in 2007, writing to Town Meeting Members urging them to vote against challenging ICE's use of the building. His letter included a legal threat from his attorney warning the town of potential lawsuits. See the Broken Promises: The 1000 District Ave Paper Trail page for the full documentation.
6. We reached out to Robert Murray multiple times. He never responded.
Before taking further action, we sent an email to Murray (under the name Heatwave) asking for a comment on his plans for the ICE facility, with a deadline of August 11th, 2025. We did not receive a response. We know that the email was received, because we were added to Cafe Escadrille's mailing list.
We also organized a letter-writing campaign, sending Murray letters asking him to cooperate with the town's inspection request and to consider ending his lease with ICE. These letters were sent to his business address and made available for community members to print and send. He has not responded to any of them.
Letters sent to Murray:
7. Congresspeople allowed into the facility say that it is unacceptable.
Mass. lawmakers press ICE for answers on use of Burlington office for detainees
Direct link to lawmakers' letter
Moulton Submits Amendments to "Big Beautiful Bill" (including requirement for humane treatment of detainees)
8. People who have been detained at this facility report horrible conditions.
Inside the Burlington office ICE has used to detain immigrants
Women in ICE's Burlington office subject to 'inhumane' and unsanitary conditions, lawyers say
'Atrocious:' lawyers, family and friends of detainees describe ICE detention
The picture below was taken by Robin Nice, the attorney for Marcelo Gomes da Silva, who was detained in these conditions.
9. The Burlington Select Board filed for a search warrant to inspect conditions within the ICE facility, but was denied.
BURN has obtained a copy of the search warrant filing, including personal affidavits from Moulton and a detainee. It can be viewed here.
10. Burlington Town Meeting members voted to adopt Article 13, a resolution condemning the activities and conditions at the Burlington ICE facility.
11. Murray will make over $2.2 million in rent this year according to the lease.
Click here to view the lease page showing the rent amount.
The full lease, obtained through a FOIA request to GSA, is available on our Broken Promises: The 1000 District Ave Paper Trail page along with other historical documents.
12. The lease requires the tenant to follow laws.
The federal lease includes provisions requiring compliance with OSHA standards ("safe and healthful condition") and "applicable federal, state, and local environmental regulations." It also references GSA General Clauses requiring compliance with applicable state and local laws.
Does holding people for days without beds, adequate food, or medical care comply with these requirements?
13. "But he gives to charity..."
Some people point out that Murray has donated to local charities. While charitable giving is commendable, it does not offset the harm caused by profiting—to the tune of $2.2 million just this year—from a facility where people are held in inhumane conditions. The scale of moral goodness does not work that way.
Robert Murray has First and Third Amendment rights. He can speak freely. He is not forced to quarter federal agents in his building. He can refuse to renew ICE's lease when it expires in 2028. He can announce that decision publicly, today.
He has chosen not to.