The Department of Homeland Security says it wants to limit access to ICE detention facilities by lawmakers in Congress, after a handful of facility visits made by Democratic lawmakers in Arizona and other states.
U.S. law gives congressional lawmakers the authority to show up and tour ICE detention, even if they arrive with no notice. The process is one of the accountability mechanisms lawmakers have to ensure a facility's conditions are up to legal standards.
But under the new rules — released by ICE this month — lawmakers must provide 72 hours notice if they plan to visit an ICE field office. Congressional staffers are required to give at least 24 hours notice.
It also says lawmakers are not allowed to touch or speak to people inside the facility unless they’ve been given permission in advance.
The directive comes just after Rep. Yassamin Ansari’s unannounced visit to the Eloy Detention Center south of Phoenix — where she met with female detainees who alleged mistreatment by facility staff.
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Mexico’s foreign secretary says 14,000 Mexican nationals remain in immigration detention in the United States as Mexico pursues consular and legal action. -
Lawyers who spoke to KPBS said immigration judges are now ordering bond amounts that previously were only used for criminals on international wanted lists. The U.S. Department of Justice says the courts are following the law and that the claims are "baseless." -
Assistant Chief Patrol Agent Mike Wisniewski says this latest surge comes on the heels of a similar operation last month, which led to the arrest of dozens of undocumented immigrants. -
A kitchen manager at the center of the Zipps Sports Grill immigration raids has been sentenced to five months in federal prison for his role in hiring undocumented workers. -
Every year, Arizona State University Barrett Honors College professor Abby Wheatley brings her class on transnational migration to the Arizona borderlands.
