Elfreth, Maryland Congressional Delegation Members Denied from Conducting Legal Oversight of Federal ICE Holding Facility in Baltimore
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth (MD-03), along with Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Senator Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Representatives Glenn Ivey (D-MD 04), Kweisi Mfume (D-MD 07), and Johnny Olszewski (D-MD 02), attempted to conduct an official oversight visit of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) holding facility located in the George H. Fallon Federal Building in Baltimore, Maryland, only to be denied entry.
"This visit was part of our collective oversight responsibility to ensure ICE is treating detainees humanely and operating within the bounds of federal law," said the lawmakers. "We were exercising our legal authority as Members of Congress to inspect the Baltimore federal holding facility, and, if necessary, speak directly with detainees. What happened today was yet another example of Donald Trump and his Administration's deliberate, dangerous pattern of preventing congressional oversight and hiding the truth from the American people." they concluded.
Members of Congress have the legal right to access federal holding facilities to obtain information and fulfill legislative and oversight responsibilities. The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (Public Law 118-47) clearly affirms Members of Congress' explicit authority to perform oversight visits of immigration detention facilities, and explicitly bars the agency from preventing such visits, stating:
"None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the Department of Homeland Security by this Act may be used to prevent any of the following persons [A Member of Congress] from entering, for the purpose of conducting oversight, any facility operated by or for the Department of Homeland Security used to detain or otherwise house aliens... Nothing in this section may be construed to require a Member of Congress to provide prior notice of the intent to enter a facility."
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