A federal court has again ordered Homeland Security to restore Congressional access to ICE detention centers.
District Judge Jia Cobb granted a temporary restraining order that blocks a DHS policy requiring Congressional members to give seven days notice before visiting an ICE facility.
That policy was first laid out last summer and overturned when a federal judge found it violated a U.S. statute guaranteeing lawmakers the right to make unannounced visits to ICE facilities.
But DHS Secretary Kristi Noem signed a near-identical policy this year, after immigration officers shot and killed Renee Good in Minneapolis.
Though they are not part of the suit, Rep. Yassamin Ansari, Sen. Mark Kelly and other Arizona lawmakers have conducted oversight visits and called for reforms in the state’s detention centers.
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This case dates back to 2018 — when a group of Iraqis and Afghans filed suit on the grounds that their Special Immigrant Visa applications, or SIVs, had been stalled. -
Pinal County Superior Court Judge Joseph Georgini placed a temporary restraining order on the Pinal County attorney’s agreement with ICE on Monday. -
Phoenix leaders voted to draft an ordinance for how to respond if authorities target the city for a crackdown like in Minneapolis. -
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is considering using the state’s “public nuisance” law to stop ICE from opening a massive detention facility in Surprise. -
The ruling comes from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals — which has jurisdiction over Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
