DENVER — U.S. lawmakers are suing the Trump administration after Colorado Rep. Jason Crow was denied entry to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Aurora, raising major concerns about oversight.
Rep. Crow said he was blocked from visiting the privately operated GEO Group detention center on July 20, despite federal laws allowing members of Congress to conduct unannounced visits to such facilities. “The law is clear,” Crow stated. “Members of Congress have the legal right to conduct oversight.”
In response, Rep. Joe Neguse, also a Colorado Democrat, announced a lawsuit on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He leads a group of a dozen lawmakers challenging what they call the administration’s “illegal policy” on blocking oversight access.
“Blocking Members of Congress from oversight visits to ICE facilities clearly violates federal law—and the Trump administration knows it,” said Neguse. “We filed this lawsuit to defend our constitutional duties.”
The Public Oversight of Detention Centers Acts of 2019 and 2024 grant Congress the authority to enter any U.S. facility used to detain immigrants without prior notice. Neguse emphasized the urgency, citing growing reports of mistreatment, overcrowding, and unsanitary conditions in ICE facilities—even involving U.S. citizens.
Rep. Crow echoed this in a separate statement, accusing the administration of attempting to intimidate Congress into abandoning oversight.
“Since Trump was elected, this administration has tried to block oversight and silence us. I won’t back down—in Congress or in court,” Crow said.
The lawsuit names ICE, its acting director Todd Lyons, the Department of Homeland Security, and Secretary Kristi Noem as defendants.
According to the complaint, the Trump-Vance administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement has severely strained the U.S. detention system. Some facilities are housing more people than they were designed for, and troubling allegations have surfaced, including food shortages, inadequate medical care, and at least 11 deaths in custody within the administration’s first six months.
The lawmakers are asking the court to:
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Strike down the current ICE access policy
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Grant immediate and permanent access rights to members of Congress
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Cover legal costs and attorney’s fees
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Provide any additional relief deemed appropriate
This legal challenge comes amid a renewed push by the Trump administration to increase deportations, with ICE now under a daily quota of 3,000 arrests, up from 650 earlier in his term.
Katie is a senior who has been on staff for three years. Her favorite type of stories to write is reviews and features. Katie’s favorite ice cream flavor is strawberry.
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