In the wake of the devasting ICE shooting of an American citizen in Minneapolis, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) Kristi Noem "quietly" changed the rules so that congresspeople can't visit ICE facilities as easily, according to reporting.
Kyle Cheney, senior legal affairs reporter for Politico, broke the news on social media late Saturday.
"BREAKING: A day after the Minneapolis shooting, Secretary Noem quietly signed a new policy barring congressional visits to ICE facilities without a week's advance notice," Cheney wrote on X. He also linked to a related filing.
"In June 2025, following significant and sometimes violent incidents at ICE facilities, I directed that requests by Members of Congress to visit an ICE facility be submitted at least seven days in advance of the visit," Noem's letter states. "DHS also determined that because ICE field offices, including holding facilities, are not detention facilities, they are not subject to the same requirements as detention facilities."
Noem notes that a court found she couldn't use certain funding for limiting lawmakers from their visits, but claimed to get the money from another source, the "One Big Beautiful Bill" act past by Republicans.
She then limits the visits to those who give a week's notice.