Lawmakers Conduct Unannounced Visit to Otay Mesa Detention Center but Can’t Speak with Detainees
ICE now requires lawmakers to identify detainees two business days before meetings, after a surprise oversight visit found the facility clean.
- On Monday, Democratic Reps. Mike Levin and Sara Jacobs conducted an unannounced oversight visit to the Otay Mesa Detention Center, where Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons handed them a memo imposing new restrictions on speaking with detainees.
- A federal appeals court blocked the Trump administration's seven-day notice policy last Friday, leading the agency to implement these new, narrower requirements that mandate two days' notice and specific detainee identification.
- Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons justified the policy as "disruptive and resource-intensive," though Rep. Mike Levin argued the restriction prevents necessary oversight of the 1,008 detainees held at the facility for an average of 130 days.
- Rep. Sara Jacobs denounced the new restrictions, asserting, "It is completely unacceptable that we aren't allowed to speak to our constituents," while continuing to demand transparency regarding site conditions.
- Lawyers are reviewing the new memo's legality, which arrives amid a surge in congressional visits that the agency claims has become an unsustainable burden, potentially setting the stage for further court battles.
11 Articles
11 Articles
The spokesman-Review
Los Angeles TimesICE puts new restrictions on members of Congress inspecting detention centers
WASHINGTON — A new Immigration and Customs Enforcement policy requires members of Congress to seek advanced approval in order to speak with detainees during oversight inspections at detention facilities. It’s the latest twist in a months-long effort by ICE to restrict such visits by lawmakers, which have skyrocketed amid the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign. California Reps. ...
San Diego congress members tour Otay Mesa detention center but denied access to detainees
Two San Diego-area congress members toured the Otay Mesa Detention Center on Monday but were blocked from speaking with detainees under a new policy from the acting ICE director.
Hanford Sentinel
Lawmakers conduct unannounced visit to Otay Mesa detention center but can’t speak with detainees
U.S. Reps. Mike Levin and Sara Jacobs conducted an unannounced oversight visit to the Otay Mesa Detention Center on Monday, days after a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., reiterated their authority — for the time being
ICE allows surprise visit from San Diego reps – with a catch
In a memo shared with Reps. Sara Jacobs and Mike Levin, ICE's acting director called the oversight visits “disruptive and resource-intensive." This content San Diego reps conduct surprise visit at Otay Mesa Detention Center, but hit new oversight snag appeared first on inewsource.
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