Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has ordered Members of Congress to provide at least seven days’ advance notice before visiting Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities, following a growing pattern of Democratic lawmakers turning “oversight” visits into confrontational spectacles that have disrupted operations and endangered federal officers and detainees.
The policy became public late Saturday after three Minnesota Democrats were denied entry to an ICE processing center in Minneapolis, triggering accusations that DHS was unlawfully blocking congressional oversight.
Politico first reported the change, explaining that the restriction was quietly implemented earlier in the week and only surfaced after the lawmakers were turned away.
“That order… forces lawmakers to seek a week’s advance notice before conducting oversight visits to ICE facilities,” Politico reported, noting that the policy appeared to explain why three House Democrats were blocked from entering an ICE facility in Minnesota.