Rep. Goldman, Members Of Congress Win Relief in Lawsuit Demanding Trump Administration Allow Access to Immigration Detention Facilities

COURT DECISION PAVES WAY FOR GOLDMAN TO CONDUCT OVERSIGHT VISITS AT 26 FEDERAL PLAZA

Washington, DC - Today, U.S. Representative Dan Goldman (NY-10) announced that he and 11 colleagues have successfully halted ICE’s unlawful policy of blocking members of Congress from conducting unannounced oversight visits to ICE facilities, including field offices. Members can now return to their lawful duties of inspecting immigration detention facilities to ensure the safety of detained individuals and compliance with federal law. The District Court opinion is a major win for the rule of law, Congress’s statutorily authorized oversight powers, and the protection of our immigrant communities.

“For months, masked, unidentified ICE agents have detained law-abiding immigrants in inhumane and unconstitutional conditions, while DHS has repeatedly and unlawfully blocked me and other Members of Congress from inspecting these facilities, including in my district in New York City, I am pleased that the district court issued a sweeping ruling confirming our statutory right to conduct oversight,” said Rep. Goldman. “The fight to hold this administration accountable for its lawless immigration dragnet continues, but this is a step in the right direction. I will continue to use every tool available to uphold the rule of law and stop the Trump Administration from terrorizing our friends and neighbors.”

Federal law (Sec. 527, FY2024 DHS Appropriations Act) allows Members of Congress to visit U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sites where noncitizens are detained without having to provide prior notice. But over the course of this year, many Members of Congress have been stopped from their attempts to conduct oversight at these facilities. In response to questions about this, ICE officials announced a new policy requiring a seven-day waiting period and preventing entry to ICE field offices.

On July 30, Rep. Goldman and eleven other individual Members of the U.S. House of Representatives sued the Trump–Vance administration, challenging the policy as an unlawful obstruction of congressional oversight. The lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia demanded that the administration comply with a federal law that guarantees Members of Congress the right to conduct oversight visits to any Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities  - including field offices - where noncitizens are detained, without prior notice. 

The plaintiffs include Assistant Democratic Leader Joe Neguse; Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Rep. Adriano Espaillat; Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Rep. Bennie G. Thompson; Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Rep. Jamie Raskin; House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Ranking Member Rep. Robert Garcia; House Homeland Security Committee Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement Ranking Member Rep. J. Luis Correa; Rep. Jason Crow; Rep. Veronica Escobar; Rep. Dan Goldman; Rep. Jimmy Gomez; Rep. Raul Ruiz; and Rep. Norma Torres.

The congressional leaders are represented by Democracy Forward Foundation and American Oversight.