By Jonathan Stempel
(Reuters) -Twelve Democratic members of Congress sued the Trump administration on Wednesday, accusing immigration officials of blocking their access to detention facilities housing noncitizens.
In a complaint filed in Washington, D.C., federal court, the House lawmakers challenged a new Department of Homeland Security policy requiring seven days’ notice for visits, and deeming some facilities including Immigration and Customs Enforcement field offices “off-limits for congressional oversight.”
Led by Assistant Minority Leader Joe Neguse, the lawmakers said their unannounced visits, without interference from the Executive Branch, remain necessary because ICE facilities have often failed to afford basic standards of care.
They said denying such visits, amid continued reports of maltreatment, overcrowding and poor sanitation, violates federal laws in place beginning in 2019, during Republican President Donald Trump’s first White House term.
“Such blatant disregard for both the law and the constitutional order by the Trump administration warrants a serious and decisive response,” Neguse said in a statement. His Colorado district includes Boulder and other Denver suburbs.
The defendants include DHS, ICE, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and acting ICE director Todd Lyons.
DHS did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The 12 representatives come from California, Colorado, Maryland, Mississippi, New York and Texas.
Others include Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Adriano Espaillat from New York, Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie Thompson from Mississippi, and Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin from Maryland.
The case is Neguse et al v ICE et al, U.S. District Court, District of Columbia, No. 25-02463.
(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
