Ilhan Omar and Two Other House Members Blocked from Visiting ICE Facility in Minnesota
In a recent incident, three Democratic members of Congress from Minnesota, including Representative Ilhan Omar, were denied entry to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center near Minneapolis on Saturday morning. This event occurred amidst ongoing clashes and demonstrations following 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 revealed that they were initially allowed inside the facility but were soon asked to leave. She stated, '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.'
Omar criticized the move as an unlawful attempt to obstruct members of Congress from performing their oversight duties. She emphasized, 'What happened today is a blatant attempt to obstruct members of Congress from doing their oversight duties.'
This incident comes on the heels of a federal judge's ruling last month, which stated that the Trump administration cannot bar members of Congress from unannounced visits to immigrant detention facilities. US district judge Jia Cobb declared 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 representing districts in the Twin Cities suburbs, were also present and denied entry after being initially allowed inside. According to Omar, they had notified the facility ahead of time about their planned visit, but were asked to leave approximately 10 minutes after entering.
Omar and her colleagues alleged that the reason for the denial of access was the facility's funding through the Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was being used to justify restricting their visit. They informed ICE and the Department of Homeland Security that this funding source violated federal law.
Representative Craig expressed her frustration, stating, 'We let ICE know, the Department of Homeland Security know, that they were violating federal law. 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, which she was told 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.
