Three Democratic members of Congress from Minnesota, including House representative Ilhan Omar, were blocked from entering an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center located near Minneapolis on Saturday morning.
The incident took place near the Whipple federal building in the Twin Cities as clashes and demonstrations continued after the shooting death of 37-year-old Renee Good by an ICE agent in south Minneapolis earlier in the week.
During a press briefing, Omar explained that they were initially allowed inside the facility but were soon told to leave. “Shortly after we were let in, two officials came in and said that they received the message that we were no longer allowed to be in the building and that they were rescinding our invitation to come in and declining any further access to the building,” she said.
She then criticized the move as unlawful. “What happened today is a blatant attempt to obstruct members of Congress from doing their oversight duties,” she added.
Last month, a federal judge said that the Trump administration cannot bar members of Congress from making visits to immigrant detention facilities, even if they are unannounced. US district judge Jia Cobb said that homeland security policies deeming ICE field offices “off-limits for congressional oversight” and requiring seven days’ notice for visits violated federal law.
Representatives Angie Craig and Kelly Morrison, both of whom represent districts in the Twin Cities suburbs, were also present and similarly denied entry after first being let inside. According to Omar, she had notified the facility ahead of time that they were planning to visit, and although they were permitted in at first, they were asked to leave roughly 10 minutes later.
Omar and her colleagues said they were informed the reason for the denial of access was because the facility’s funding came through the Big Beautiful Bill Act, and that this funding source was being used to justify restricting their visit.
“We let ICE know, the Department of Homeland Security know, that they were violating federal law,” said Craig. “They do not care that they are violating federal law. This is beyond the pale. This administration continues to use Minnesota as a political stunt, and earlier this week, it got a woman killed.”
Omar also mentioned observing planes departing from the location, adding she was told those flights were not deportation flights but were moving detainees to other facilities within the US, according to Axios. When asked about the needs of detainees, she said officials claimed they did not remain in custody long enough to require basic hygiene supplies, despite repeated calls for improved conditions at various holding facilities.
