Congressional Democrats intensified their scrutiny of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Monday, conducting rare same-day inspections of detention facilities in Colorado and California and pressing the Department of Homeland Security for clearer identification standards for immigration agents. In Aurora, Colorado, Reps. Jason Crow, Diana DeGette, Brittany Pettersen and Joe Neguse were granted limited access to the GEO Group-operated detention center after Crow was blocked from an unannounced inspection last month. Crow called the visit “the most difficult” oversight exercise he has faced in six years, saying staff restricted information and placed the detainee population on lockdown. Lawmakers spoke briefly with immigrant-rights activist Jeanette Vizguerra, detained since 17 March, and raised concerns about health care, food quality and transparency. DeGette personally delivered a copy of a private bill she introduced that would grant Vizguerra lawful permanent residency. Hours earlier in Los Angeles, Reps. Judy Chu, Brad Sherman, Jimmy Gomez and Maxine Waters were allowed inside the Metropolitan Detention Center after being refused entry in July. The delegation said officials barred them from talking with detainees and provided contradictory accounts of facility conditions, prompting calls for further federal oversight. Separately, the 33-member Democratic Women’s Caucus sent a letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem urging the agency to require ICE officers to wear clear identification, citing recent cases of men posing as agents to kidnap and assault women. The caucus argued that the use of masks and unmarked vehicles by real officers fuels confusion and endangers immigrant communities. ICE and DHS have not commented on the lawmakers’ allegations. The twin inspections and caucus letter add to mounting pressure on the agency to improve transparency, detainee welfare and public safety practices.