House Democrats Sue ICE Over Seven-Day Notice Rule for Facility Visits

Twelve Democratic members of the U.S. House sued the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, arguing that a new policy requiring lawmakers to give at least seven days’ notice before touring immigration detention sites violates federal law and the Constitution. The complaint, filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, says the guidance also bars unannounced visits to certain locations, including ICE field offices that have been used to hold migrants. The plaintiffs, led by Assistant Minority Leader Joe Neguse of Colorado, contend that Congress in 2019 explicitly guaranteed individual lawmakers unrestricted, real-time access to any DHS facility that detains non-citizens. They allege the Trump administration ignored that statute and obstructed multiple attempted inspections amid reports of overcrowding, poor sanitation and inadequate medical care. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons are named as defendants. The lawmakers ask the court to declare the policy unlawful and to block DHS from enforcing it. The case—Neguse et al. v. ICE et al., No. 25-02463—underscores escalating tensions between House Democrats and the administration over immigration enforcement and congressional oversight.