Congressional representatives have repeatedly been denied access to ICE facilities. The real motivation for these congressional visits seems to be political, that Democrats are against mass deportations and are trying to get the illegals released back onto U.S. streets. They claim that it’s “the way illegals are being detained and deported” that upsets them, but in reality, it is the fact that illegals are being detained and deported that they are really angry about.
So far, there have been legal challenges to the deployment of the National Guard to protect ICE offices, sanctuary cities not only refusing to aid ICE but also refusing to protect them, and local authorities declaring ICE-free zones. Judges have even issued limits on ICE, such as prohibiting arrests of illegals traveling to or from their illegal jobs.
The latest conflict regarding congressional representatives demanding access to ICE facilities whenever they wish has sparked a constitutional crisis over congressional oversight. The issue is now going to court and will most likely be escalated to a higher court, as both sides will probably not accept a ruling they do not like.
Illinois Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth were denied access to the Broadview ICE detention facility on Friday, October 10, 2025, marking their fourth attempt to enter the site. Both Democratic senators have made repeated requests to the Department of Homeland Security for oversight of the facility, which is used to process detained immigrants.
Speaking outside the facility, Senator Tammy Duckworth condemned the administration’s actions, saying, “It is appalling that two United States senators are not allowed to visit this facility. What are you afraid of is what I want to ask [Homeland Security Secretary] Kristi Noem. What are you afraid of? You don’t hide, you don’t run away when you’re proud of what you’re doing.”
This ongoing controversy centers on whether members of Congress have the right to conduct unannounced oversight visits to ICE detention facilities, with sharply differing interpretations of federal law.
Section 527 of the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, originally enacted in 2020 as Section 532 and later renumbered, states that none of the funds appropriated to DHS may be used to prevent a member of Congress from entering any DHS-operated or contracted facility used to detain or house aliens for the purpose of oversight.
Subsection (b) explicitly adds that members are not required to provide prior notice of their intent to visit. The statute further specifies that access is granted to any member of Congress, not just those on particular committees or in leadership, and forbids DHS from making temporary modifications to facilities that could alter what a visiting member would otherwise observe.
The Trump administration maintains that visit requests must be submitted in advance, typically one week, to prevent interference with the President’s Article II authority to oversee executive departments. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and other officials argue that safety concerns justify regulating access, citing increased incidents of assaults and disruptions.
Hellbound and Down 