Latest news with #oversight
New York Times
2 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Times
What's Inside a 10th Floor ICE Office? New York Democrats Want to Know.
On the 10th floor of a federal building in Lower Manhattan, there is a holding area where immigration authorities have typically held a few dozen immigrants at a time for a few hours before transferring them to detention centers. But as the Trump administration expands its immigration crackdown, the space has become overcrowded and people sleep sprawled on the floor, sometimes for days, according to those who have spent time there. Descriptions of the conditions at the center, the New York City field office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, have prompted several congressional Democrats to demand that they be allowed inside for oversight purposes. Those demands have been denied. On Friday, seven New York City Democrats plan to escalate their efforts to get onto the 10th floor by sending a letter to Kristi Noem, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, which includes the immigration agency, known as ICE. In the letter, they accuse the immigration authorities of violating federal laws that allow members of Congress to tour facilities where migrants are being held. From New Jersey to California, ICE premises have turned into political battlegrounds over President Trump's immigration agenda, leading to the arrests of several Democratic officials. 'Congressional oversight is essential to bring transparency to the conduct of the Department of Homeland Security,' the lawmakers say in the letter. 'Given the overaggressive and excessive force used to handcuff and detain elected officials in public, DHS's refusal to allow members of Congress to observe the conditions for immigrants behind closed doors begs the obvious question: what are you hiding?' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
ICE Insists That Congress Needs Its Permission To Conduct Oversight
This week, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) released new guidance on "facility visit and engagement protocol for Members of Congress and staff." "ICE detention locations and Field Offices are secure facilities. As such, all visitors are required to comply with [identity] verification and security screening requirements prior to entry," it specified. "When planning to visit an ICE facility, ICE asks requests to be submitted at least 72 hours in advance." Incidentally, it's perfectly legal for members of Congress to visit ICE detention facilities, even unannounced. And ICE's attempt to circumvent that requirement threatens the constitutional system of checks and balances. The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024, which funded the government through September 2024, specified that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may not "prevent…a Member of Congress" or one of their employees "from entering, for the purpose of conducting oversight, any facility operated by or for the Department of Homeland Security used to detain or otherwise house aliens" or to modify the facility in advance of such a visit. It also clarified that the DHS cannot "require a Member of Congress to provide prior notice of the intent to enter a facility." ICE's new guidance tries to get around this by stipulating that "ICE Field Offices are not detention facilities and fall outside of the [law's] requirements." Nevertheless, it adds that "while Member[s] of Congress are not required to provide advance notice for visits to ICE detention facilities, ICE requires a minimum of 24-hours' notice for visits by congressional staff" (emphasis in the original). Further, "visit request[s] are not considered actionable until receipt of the request is acknowledged" by ICE. The new rules also stipulate that visiting members of Congress may not bring in cellphones or recording devices, they must be escorted by ICE staff at all times, and they may not "have any physical or verbal contact with any person in ICE detention facilities unless previously requested and specifically approved by ICE Headquarters." In recent weeks, Democratic lawmakers have tried to enter ICE facilities, only to be turned away or threatened with imprisonment. Last week, authorities charged Rep. LaMonica McIver (D–N.J.) with three felony counts of assaulting, resisting, or impeding federal officers. McIver and other lawmakers visited Delaney Hall Federal Immigration Facility in Newark last month. A scuffle apparently ensued when authorities arrested Newark Mayor Ras Baraka for trespassing, though those charges were later dropped. This week, four members of Congress who visited the ICE Processing Center in Broadview, Illinois, were apparently denied access when they arrived. "We have reports that immigrants are being detained here without access to their attorneys, sleeping on the floor and without food," Rep. Chuy Garcia (D–Ill.), one of the members in attendance, alleged in a post on X. The DHS replied from its official account, "Congressman, all members and staff need to comply with facility rules, procedures, and instructions from ICE personnel on site." On Wednesday, Reps. Jerry Nadler and Dan Goldman (D–N.Y.) visited an office in Manhattan where migrants were allegedly being kept, only to be denied entry by Bill Joyce, the deputy director of the field office. Joyce denied it was a detention facility, saying that even though migrants were being kept on-site, ICE was simply "housing them until they can be detained." In video captured at the scene in Manhattan, Goldman said he and Nadler had requested permission to visit—even though they "have the authority to show up unannounced"—but were denied. This isn't uncharacteristic of the agency: Earlier this year, ICE agents denied Reason's C.J. Ciaramella access to an immigration court at a federal detention facility in Miami, in defiance of both federal law and guidance listed on the agency's own website. (ICE later admitted the facility was "open daily to the public.") Regardless of the actual conditions of any ICE facility, it's clear Congress' intent was to establish its legislative oversight role over an executive agency. Checks and balances are a key feature of American government: Each of the three branches has the power to keep the others in check. For ICE to claim an all-encompassing right to operate in the dark, apart from the prying eyes of even a co-equal branch of government, flies in the face of the Constitution's clear meaning. "This unlawful policy is a smokescreen to deny Member visits to ICE offices across the country, which are holding migrants – and sometimes even U.S. citizens – for days at a time. They are therefore detention facilities and are subject to oversight and inspection at any time," Rep. Bennie Thompson (D–Miss.), the ranking member on the House Homeland Security Committee, said in a statement. "There is no valid or legal reason for denying Member access to ICE facilities and DHS's ever-changing justifications prove this….If ICE has nothing to hide, DHS must make its facilities available." The post ICE Insists That Congress Needs Its Permission To Conduct Oversight appeared first on
Fox News
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Fox News
DHS issues new guidance for members of Congress who want to visit ICE detention facilities
Print Close By Alec Schemmel Published June 19, 2025 The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released new guidance for members of Congress who wish to visit federal immigration detention facilities. The guidance comes as Democrat lawmakers have begun visiting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities amid Trump's deportation efforts, with several being denied entry this week at immigration detention facilities in New York and Illinois. Under the new guidance, which is dated this month, members of Congress wishing to visit an ICE facility are asked to notify the agency at least 72 hours ahead of time, in addition to existing requirements that compel House or Senate staffers to provide 24-hour notice in advance of their visits as well. WHITE HOUSE BLASTS DEMS 'CROSSING THE LINE' BY STORMING ICE FACILITY Amid the Trump administration's efforts to tighten border security and deport illegal immigrants residing in the United States, members of Congress have been showing up at federal immigration facilities saying they are there to perform their statutorily authorized oversight duties. "We went to conduct lawful congressional oversight—to do our jobs and demand answers for our constituents," Rep. LaMonica McIver said after she, two other members of Congress and a local mayor showed up at a detention facility in New Jersey last month, resulting in the mayor getting arrested and McIver, D-N.J., ultimately getting charged with forcibly impeding and interfering with federal immigration officials. McIver's visit in May alongside Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Ras Baraka and two other members of Congress has been followed by other visits from Democratic officials to immigration facilities across the country. This week, at least two separate efforts to enter ICE facilities by a group of Democratic officials were denied. DEM MAYOR ARRESTED FOR TRESPASSING AT ICE FACILITY FLOATED AS PICK FOR STATE'S NO 2 OFFICE The new DHS guidance notes that while members of Congress have the statutory right to make unannounced visits to ICE detention facilities for oversight purposes, it did clarify that ICE field offices "fall outside" of that statutory authority. The guidance also clarifies that ICE "retains the sole and unreviewable discretion to deny a request or otherwise cancel, reschedule or terminate a tour or visit" if "facility management or other ICE officials deem it appropriate to do so." "ICE will make every effort to comply with the law and accommodate Members seeking to visit/tour an ICE detention facility for the purpose of conducting oversight, but exigent circumstances (e.g., operational conditions, security posture, etc.) may impact the time of entry into the facility," the guidance states. "Regardless, Members must comply with entry requirements." ANTI-ICE PROTESTERS GATHER OUTSIDE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT DETENTION CENTER IN NEW JERSEY The guidance says that anyone caught seeking to circumvent the entry requirements may be subject to arrest. Another notable part of the guidance includes a ban on recording devices from being brought into federal detention facilities. The guidance also sets out parameters for how visitors can and can not interact with persons detained at ICE facilities, as well as with the ICE officers themselves. The decision to approve, or deny, requests ultimately falls under the purview of the Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Officer in Charge (OIC) of the facility that a visitor wishes to enter, the guidance states. For facilities that house immigrant detainees, but are not solely an ICE or DHS facility, the guidance states that "as contractors" these facilities "cannot speak on behalf of the government," and "only ICE personnel are authorized to conduct visits for facilities housing ICE detainees." The guidance added that members of Congress, or their staff, attempting to enter Bureau of Prisons-owned (BOP) facilities that hold immigration detainees must follow BOP protocols that typically require five to seven business days of advance notice to coordinate the visit. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "As ICE law enforcement have seen a surge in assaults, disruptions and obstructions to enforcement, including by politicians themselves, any requests to tour processing centers and field offices must be approved by the Secretary of Homeland Security. These requests must be part of legitimate congressional oversight activities," Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "As for visits to detention facilities, requests should be made with sufficient time to prevent interference with the President's Article II authority to oversee executive department functions—a week is sufficient to ensure no intrusion on the President's constitutional authority," McLaughlin continued. "To protect the President's Article II authority, any request to shorten that time must be approved by the Secretary." Print Close URL
ABC News
13 hours ago
- Business
- ABC News
Tasmanian premier unsure why Integrity Commission scrapped reform of oversight of state's political lobbyists
Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff has said it is up to the state's Integrity Commission to explain why it has decided not to implement a new oversight model for lobbyists. The commissioner emailed those affected by the model on Monday to say it would not be going ahead with the new system "at this time", but has not provided a reason. The model has been in development since 2022 and was due to start on July 1, requiring all MPs, heads of government agencies, and political advisers to disclose contact with lobbyists within five days. It would then be publicly disclosed, including whether the lobbyist was attempting to influence legislation, government grants or contracts, funding allocations, and government policies. A lobbyist is someone who either receives a fee to lobby on behalf of a client or is directly employed as a lobbyist by a company. Tasmania has 70 registered lobbyists, including former premiers Paul Lennon and Will Hodgman, Mr Hodgman's former chief of staff Brad Stansfield, Mr Rockliff's former chief of staff Vanessa Field, and former federal MP Christopher Pyne. Mr Rockliff said he was unaware why the new model was not proceeding. "I haven't spoken to the Integrity Commission," he said. "It's up to them to outline their reasons. The Integrity Commission would not comment on why it made the decision, other than to say the decision was made by its board. The new lobbyist oversight system had gone through multiple rounds of consultation and drafts before a final recommendation was reached. In one proposed model, the Integrity Commission described the system as a "significant transparency measure" that would "enhance confidence in government decision making". It would have introduced a 12-month 'cooling off' period before MPs and political advisers could transition into lobbying activities. Success fees would have been banned, with Tasmania the only state or territory that still allows lobbyists to be paid for getting specific outcomes for clients. A proposal that prevented lobbyists who advise in election campaigns to go straight back into lobbying was dropped from the final recommendation. This proposal had attracted extensive criticism from Liberal-linked firm Font PR, which argued it had been "unfairly targeted". Labor leader Dean Winter said he suspected the state election was a reason for the system not being implemented. He said Tasmania needed stronger integrity oversight. Nelson independent MLC Meg Webb said the model would have lacked enforcement powers, and should be legislated. "We need to legislate this new oversight regime so that it's not able to come and go at the whim of somebody," she said. "There also needs to be a head of power for enforcing it. The policy settings around the Integrity Commission have been a regular source of debate in Tasmania. The government has implemented six out of 55 recommendations from a 2016 review. This review was itself reviewed by the Justice Department in 2022, but no further recommendations have made headway. These recommendations included adding a definition of "serious misconduct", that the Integrity Commission maintain jurisdiction over matters referred to other public authorities, and removing the privilege of self-incrimination. The government agreed to carry out an independent review of the Integrity Commission as part of its supply and confidence deal with the Jacqui Lambie Network, but this was cancelled in February, which the government said was due to it interfering with a parliamentary committee. That review had been used as a reason not to carry out reforms to the Integrity Commission. The length of time for the Integrity Commission to carry out investigations has also been criticised, with at least one government MP being investigated for more than three years. In the Integrity Commission's latest annual report, Chief Commissioner Greg Melick said it was "the most under-funded integrity body in the country". "Regrettably, our investigations are protracted as our staff are forced to juggle multiple competing priorities," he wrote. The most recent state budget included $3.7 million in operational funding for the Integrity Commission, a near identical amount of funding provided in each of the past two budgets.
The Guardian
15 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Outrage as DHS moves to restrict lawmaker visits to detention centers
The US Department of Homeland Security is now requiring lawmakers to provide 72 hours of notice before visiting detention centers, according to new guidance. The guidance comes after a slew of tense visits from Democratic lawmakers to detention centers amid Donald Trump's crackdowns in immigrant communities across the country. Many Democratic lawmakers in recent weeks have either been turned away, arrested or manhandled by law enforcement officers at the facilities, leading to public condemnation towards Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (Ice) handling of such visits. Lawmakers are allowed to access DHS facilities 'used to detain or otherwise house aliens' for inspections and are not required 'to provide prior notice of the intent to enter a facility', according to the 2024 Federal Appropriations Act. Previous language surrounding lawmaker visits to such facilities said that 'Ice will comply with the law and accommodate members seeking to visit/tour an Ice detention facility for the purpose of conducting oversight,' CNN reported. However, in the new guidance, the DHS updated the language to say that Ice 'will make every effort to comply with the law' but 'exigent circumstances (e.g,m operational conditions, security posture, etc.) may impact the time of entry into the facility'. The new guidance also attempts to distinguish Ice field offices from Ice detention facilities, noting that since 'Ice field offices are not detention facilities' they do not fall under the visitation requirements laid out in the Appropriations Act. The Guardian has contacted Ice for comment. In response to the updated guidance, Mississippi's Democratic representative and the ranking member of the House committee on homeland security, Bennie Thompson, condemned what he called the attempt by the homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, to 'block oversight on Ice'. 'Kristi Noem's new policy to block congressional oversight of Ice facilities is not only unprecedented, it is an affront to the constitution and federal law. Noem is now not only attempting to restrict when members can visit, but completely blocking access to Ice field offices – even if members schedule visits in advance,' Thompson said. 'This unlawful policy is a smokescreen to deny member visits to Ice offices across the country, which are holding migrants – and sometimes even US citizens – for days at a time. They are therefore detention facilities and are subject to oversight and inspection at any time. DHS pretending otherwise is simply their latest lie.' Last month, the New Jersey representative LaMonica McIver was charged with assaulting federal agents during a visit to a detention facility in Newark alongside two Democratic members of the state's congressional delegation. McIver called the charges against her 'purely political … and are meant to criminalize and deter legislative oversight'. New Jersey's governor, Phil Murphy, also condemned the charges, saying it was 'outrageous for a congresswoman to be criminally charged for exercising her lawful duty to visit a detention site in her own district'. On the day of McIver's visit, law enforcement also arrested the mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka, who they charged with trespassing as he attempted to join McIver's delegation visit. The charges against Baraka were later dropped and Baraka has since filed a lawsuit against the state's top federal prosecutor over his arrest. Bonnie Watson Coleman, another New Jersey representative who was part of McIver's visit, rejected the DHS's claims that the lawmakers assaulted law enforcement officers. 'The idea that I could 'body slam' anyone, let alone an ICE agent, is absurd,' the 80-year old representative said on X last month, adding: 'We have an obligation to perform oversight at facilities paid for with taxpayer dollars.' Earlier this month, law enforcement officers forced the California senator Alex Padilla on to the ground as he attempted to ask a question to Noem during a press conference in Los Angeles. Despite repeatedly identifying himself, Padilla was handcuffed and forced into the hallway before law enforcement officers shoved the two-term US senator chest-first on to the floor. Following the incident which triggered widespread outrage across both Democratic and Republican lawmakers, Noem said she did not recognize the two-term senator and claimed that he did not request a meeting with her. The two then reportedly met for 15 minutes after the incident. On Tuesday, the Illinois representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi and Jonathan Jackson were denied entry during their attempted visit to an Ice facility in Chicago. Posting on X, Krishnamoorthi wrote: 'Families are worried about their loved ones who have been detained here. Immigrants throughout Illinois are living in fear. So @rep_jackson and I went to the facility today to try to get some answers. But shortly after we arrived, Ice called CPD, accused us of trespassing, and told us to leave the premises. Ice is trying to prevent us from doing our congressional oversight duties.' That same day, the New York City comptroller and mayoral candidate, Brad Lander, was forcibly arrested by multiple federal agents and detained for hours as he tried to accompany a Spanish-speaking immigrant out of a courtroom. The DHS claimed Lander 'was arrested for assaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal officer', an accusation Lander denies. Following his release, New York's governor, Kathy Hochul, called his arrest 'bullshit' and said that the charges against Lander had been dropped. A day later, the New York representatives Dan Goldman and Jerry Nadler were refused entry into Ice detention facilities in Manhattan's 26 Federal Plaza, despite requesting a visit in advance via letter, the City reports.
