DENVER — Two Colorado congressmen have joined 10 other Democratic lawmakers in suing the Trump administration Monday, claiming the federal government “secretly” reimposed a policy that blocks unannounced congressional visits to immigration detention centers.
The motion, filed by 12 Democrats, including Reps. Joe Neguse and Jason Crow of Colorado, asks the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to order the administration to explain “how this new policy is not a violation of federal law guaranteeing Members of Congress the ability to conduct oversight of ICE facilities.”
The lawsuit comes nearly a month after a federal judge sided with the group of Democratic lawmakers, among them Neguse and Crow, ruling members of Congress could resume unannounced visits and tours of detention centers and field officers run by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), including the ICE facility in Aurora.
That previous lawsuit was brought on by Rep. Crow last summer, who claimed he was denied entry into the GEO facility in Aurora during an unannounced congressional visit in July, and told he needed to give a seven-day notice to the Department of Homeland Security before conducting an oversight visit.
In an interview with Denver7's Shannon Ogden shortly after that lawsuit had been filed, Crow said that unannounced visits at ICE detention facilities by members of Congress are not only legal but necessary because scheduled visits are "dog and pony shows."
- Watch the full interview in the video player below:
But in Monday’s motion, Neguse said U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem quietly signed a new memorandum reinstating the same seven-day notice requirement, as reported by Politico. The came a day after an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Good, a Minneapolis woman who was born and raised in Colorado Springs.
“The existence of the memo, which had not been shared with plaintiffs or the court, only came to light after three members of the Minnesota congressional delegation were subsequently denied access to an ICE facility in Minnesota, despite having the court order in hand,” said Grace Martinez, a spokeswoman for Neguse, in a statement Monday.
In a joint statement, Neguse and the 12 other Democratic lawmakers suing the Trump administration, said the reintroduction of this policy was “unlawful.”
“Oversight is a core responsibility of Members of Congress, and a constitutional duty we do not take lightly. It is not something the executive branch can turn on or off at will,” the statement reads. “Today, we are going back to court to defend the rule of law, protect transparency, and ensure that no administration can hide behind closed doors.”
Denver7 has reached out to ICE for comment but has yet to hear back. This story will be updated once we do.
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