'Unprecedented': Top House Dem goes off on DHS's 'latest lie'

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) fired back at Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's new policy requiring lawmakers to give at least 72 hours' notice before visiting an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center.

The new policy was enacted at a time when multiple lawmakers had been videotaped in tense confrontations with ICE agents while visiting the centers. Some Democratic lawmakers have been arrested, detained, or forcefully removed from the premises, which has caused widespread concern about the treatment of both lawmakers and immigrants in the centers.

"Kristi Noem’s new policy to block congressional oversight of ICE facilities is not only unprecedented, it is an affront to the Constitution and Federal law," Thompson, who is the ranking member on the House Committee on Homeland Security, said in a statement.

"Noem is now not only attempting to restrict when Members can visit, but completely blocking access to ICE Field Offices – even if Members schedule visits in advance. No matter how much she and Trump want to force us to live under their authoritarian rule, ICE is not above oversight and the Department must follow the law," Thompson continued.

Thompson called the policy "unlawful" and a "smokescreen to deny Member visits to ICE offices across the country, which are holding migrants – and sometimes even U.S. citizens – for days at a time."

"They are therefore detention facilities and are subject to oversight and inspection at any time. DHS pretending otherwise is simply their latest lie," he said.

DHS's new policy is a marked departure from ICE's previous guidance. The annual appropriations bill says DHS cannot use any of its funds to deny lawmakers access to facilities "used to detain or otherwise house aliens."

The memo DHS created outlining the policy change argues that ICE field offices are not subject to this law because they are not "detention facilities."

"ICE detention locations and Field Offices are secure facilities," the memo reads in part. "As such, all visitors are required to comply with identity verification and security screening requirements prior to entry. Visitors attempting to circumvent entry requirements may be subject to arrest or other legal action."