Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
In the nation’s capital a federal judge has temporarily barred trump Enacting policies that limit members of the administration Congress‘Access to immigration detention facilities.
The judge ruled Wednesday that it is potentially illegal for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to demand a week’s notice from members of Congress wishing to visit ICE facilities and inspect conditions.
US District Judge Zia Cobb, who was nominated by the bench democratic chairman Joe Bidenconcluded that the seven-day notice requirement likely exceeds the Department of Homeland Security’s statutory authority.
“Plaintiffs are interested in the facts of whether the facilities are overcrowded or unsanitary, whether employees engage in misconduct, or the location of constituents or their family members,” the judge wrote.
Twelve Democratic members of Congress filed suit WashingtonD.C. denied him entry to detention facilities in July for challenging ICE’s revised visitor policies. He also challenged the policy of excluding ICE field offices from facilities that members of Congress are entitled to visit without notice. Their lawsuit accuses Republican President Donald Trump’s administration of obstructing congressional oversight of the centers while increasing immigration enforcement actions across the country.
Government lawyers argued that the plaintiffs did not have the legal standing to bring their claims. He also said it was mere speculation for lawmakers that conditions at ICE facilities change over the course of a week. The judge rejected those arguments.
“Changing conditions within ICE facilities mean that it is impossible for a member of Congress to reconstruct the conditions at that facility on the day they initially sought to enter,” Cobb wrote.