A federal judge on Monday declined to block a new Department of Homeland Security policy that limits when members of Congress can visit Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities, a decision that could make it harder for Democrats to press the Trump administration over detention conditions, according to a new report.
U.S. District Court Judge Jia M. Cobb refused to stop the updated policy, which requires lawmakers to provide at least seven days’ notice before an oversight visit, The Denver Post reported. Democrats including Reps. Jason Crow (D-CO) and Joe Neguse (D-CO) have challenged the rules in court, arguing the notice requirement undermines real-time oversight.
Cobb did not endorse the policy’s legality, according to The Denver Post. Instead, she said the lawmakers’ filing was not the proper legal vehicle to challenge the new directive. While noting that ICE’s revised approach relies on new funding, Cobb wrote that her earlier order—blocking a prior version of the policy—“did not purport to address all future DHS policies which may implicate congressional access” to detention centers.
The decision comes as the administration’s immigration enforcement tactics face intensifying scrutiny. This month, reports have described shootings involving ICE agents during protests and arrests, including the death of Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother who was shot by ICE agent Jonathan Ross while driving away from the scene of an ICE raid in her neighborhood.
Good’s death has sparked protests across the country and renewed calls from Democratic officials for DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to face impeachment.
