Guarantee Members of Congress the right to inspect all immigration detention facilities—whether federally, state, or privately operated—to ensure accountability and compliance with the law;
Guarantee Members of Congress the right to inspect all immigration detention facilities to ensure accountability and compliance with the law.
Occurrences
Shortly after our initial visit, we introduced the No Cages in the Everglades Act to prohibit the use of Federal funds for this appalling project or any other detention facility in the Everglades, require an independent investigation of State and federal laws violated in its construction and management, and permanently codify the rights of Members of Congress to conduct unannounced oversight visits wherever immigrants are detained.
Evidence
legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown
Section 527 of the DHS appropriations division prohibits using funds to block members of Congress from entering, for oversight, any DHS facility used to detain or house aliens; members need no prior notice and designated staff need 24 hours.
legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown
A federal judge in Washington temporarily blocked DHS from enforcing a seven-day notice rule for congressional visits to ICE detention facilities, saying the policy likely exceeded DHS authority after lawmakers were denied entry.
Assessments
Congress enacted a statutory congressional-inspection right for DHS detention facilities in 2024, which goes substantially toward the promise, but it does not literally cover every immigration detention facility and the record here does not show Lois Frankel herself was the key sponsor or driver. That supports partial credit rather than full delivery.