MINNEAPOLIS — The Department of Homeland Security blocked federal lawmakers from visiting an immigration detention facility in Minneapolis this weekend under a new visitation policy from the head of the department.
Under federal law, members of Congress have the right to make unannounced visits to Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities. A D.C. federal court ruling affirmed this last month, saying it applies to facilities that are funded by regular congressional appropriations.
But in a Jan. 8 memo from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem obtained by NPR, Noem instructs her staff that visits should be requested at least seven days in advance. She said ICE officials would implement and enforce any visitation policy using money appropriated under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a different bucket of federal funds, and therefore the policy on unannounced visits doesn't apply to them.
The new policy seemed to have been cited on Saturday to block the visit of three Minnesota congresswomen to an ICE detention facility in Minneapolis.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a reconciliation measure that Congress passed last summer with only Republican support, allocated some $45 billion for immigration detention centers as many were operating over their capacity. It also provided about $30 billion to hire more ICE personnel, for transportation costs, and to maintain ICE facilities, among other spending.
"The basis of this policy is that advance notice is necessary to ensure adequate protection for Members of Congress, congressional staff, detainees, and ICE employees alike," Noem wrote. "Unannounced visits require pulling ICE officers away from their normal duties."
Noem also said "there is an increasing trend of replacing legitimate oversight activities with circus-like publicity stunts, all of which creates a chaotic environment with heightened emotions."
Noem's memo explicitly asks that ICE implement and enforce the visitation policy using only funds from the reconciliation bill, meaning the new, seven-day visitation policy would apply.
Minnesota congressional Democrats demand greater oversight
The congresswomen's visit Saturday to the Whipple Federal Building comes as Minneapolis remains on edge. An ICE agent last Wednesday shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Good while she was in her car. The Trump administration says the shooting was justified because the ICE agent was acting in self-defense.
Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar, Angie Craig and Kelly Morrison showed up at the Whipple Federal Building and were initially allowed in, but shortly after, asked to leave and blocked from touring the facility.
Rep. Craig said federal agents said the Minneapolis facility uses money from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and therefore unannounced visits are not permitted.
"It is our job as members of Congress to make sure those folks detained are treated with humanity because we are the damn United States of America!" Craig told reporters outside the Minneapolis ICE facility Saturday. "And we don't treat people the way this administration is treating people."
More than 2,000 federal immigration agents have been deployed to Minnesota, and more could arrive in the coming days.
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