Washington, D.C. – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has quietly updated its policy regarding visits by members of Congress to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities, sparking significant backlash from some lawmakers. The new guidance, which was posted on the DHS website, requires members of Congress to provide a 72-hour notice via email before visiting ICE detention centers. This update has prompted accusations from certain legislators who argue that it undermines their oversight responsibilities.
Members of Congress have traditionally had the authority to conduct unscheduled inspections of ICE detention centers to ensure transparency and accountability. However, the revised DHS policy asserts that ICE maintains “the sole and unreviewable discretion to deny a request or otherwise cancel, reschedule or terminate a tour or visit,” including instances where ICE management deems it appropriate to do so.
Democratic Representative Bennie Thompson, the ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, voiced strong opposition to the new policy. “This unlawful policy is a smokescreen to deny member visits to ICE offices across the country, which are detaining migrants—and sometimes even U.S. citizens—for days at a time,” Thompson stated. He emphasized that these facilities should remain subject to oversight and inspection at any time, condemning the DHS’s actions as misleading.
The policy update comes in the wake of several confrontations between lawmakers and ICE officials, including a recent incident outside a detention center in New Jersey that resulted in the arrest of a legislator. The policy has intensified the ongoing debate over immigration enforcement practices and the treatment of detainees within ICE facilities.
