Three Democratic members of Congress from Minnesota, including House representative Ilhan Omar, were blocked from entering an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center located near Minneapolis on Saturday morning.
The incident took place near the Whipple federal building in the Twin Cities as clashes and demonstrations continued after the shooting death of 37-year-old Renee Good by an ICE agent in south Minneapolis earlier in the week.
During a press briefing, Omar explained that they were initially allowed inside the facility but were soon told to leave. “Shortly after we were let in, two officials came in and said that they received the message that we were no longer allowed to be in the building and that they were rescinding our invitation to come in and declining any further access to the building,” she said.
She then criticized the move as unlawful. “What happened today is a blatant attempt to obstruct members of Congress from doing their oversight duties,” she added.
Last month, a federal judge said that the Trump administration cannot bar members of Congress from making visits to immigrant detention facilities, even if they are unannounced. US district judge Jia Cobb said that homeland security policies deeming ICE field offices “off-limits for congressional oversight” and requiring seven days’ notice for visits violated federal law.
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