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The Trump Department of Homeland Security is mocking several House Democrats for “running to court” over unsuccessfully demanding access to a Baltimore ICE processing facility.
A dozen Democrats are suing the Trump administration for “unlawful obstruction of congressional oversight” after Democratic members of the Maryland congressional delegation were denied entry to the ICE facility on Monday.
Maryland Democratic Senators Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks, along with Reps. Glenn Ivey, Johnny Olszewski, Sarah Elfreth and Kweisi Mfume showed up in Baltimore at the Fallon Federal Building on Monday but were denied entry into an ICE detainment facility in the building.
After being denied access to the facility, the group held a press conference outside the building in which Mfume said, “We had to stand outside, bang on the door, and ultimately sit in front of the door.”
The Democrats filed their lawsuit against the administration on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
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American Oversight, one of the law firms representing the members of Congress, said in a Wednesday statement that “at a time when ICE is detaining more individuals than ever before—over 56,000 people—and reports of mistreatment, overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, and the detention of U.S. citizens are growing, the need for real-time, on-the-ground oversight has never been more urgent.”
Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Colo., said in the statement that “blocking Members of Congress from oversight visits to ICE facilities that house or otherwise detain immigrants clearly violates Federal law—and the Trump administration knows it.”
In response, DHS Assistant Secretary for Communications Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News that “these Members of Congress could have just scheduled a tour; instead, they’re running to court to drive clicks and fundraising emails.”
McLaughlin cited concerns over assaults against ICE officers surging by 830 percent.
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“Here are the facts. As ICE law enforcement have seen a surge in assaults, disruptions, and obstructions to enforcement — including by Member of Congress themselves — any requests to tour processing centers and field offices must be approved by the Secretary of Homeland Security,” she said.
“As for visits to detention facilities” she went on, “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. To protect the President’s Article II authority, any request to shorten that time must be approved by the Secretary.”
She added that “these requests must be part of legitimate congressional oversight activities.”
After the incident, Ivey’s office shared a letter with Fox News Digital dated July 21 in which the delegation informed Noem and acting ICE Director Todd Lyons of their intent to visit the Baltimore facility. The letter did not appear to be making any request. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and Ranking Member Robert Garcia, D-Calif., were also included in the letter.
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The congressman also shared a letter he and Elfreth sent to Noem on July 23 in which the two requested the immediate release of Daniel Fuentes Espinal, a Honduran immigrant and pastor they claimed was wrongfully arrested by ICE.
Plaintiffs in the suit include Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and Garcia.
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