Biden Judge Blocks ICE Detention Policy for Congress

A Biden-appointed judge blocked Immigration and Customs Enforcement from restricting visits by members of Congress to detention centers. 

U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb for the District of Columbia temporarily suspended the agency’s requirement that members of Congress give seven days notice before visiting an immigrant detention facility. This is the second block she placed on the policy.

Cobb, appointed by Biden in 2021, has issued previous rulings against the Trump administration’s immigration and security policies. 

In this case, 13 House Democrats, led by Rep. Joe Neguse of Colorado, sued in January, asserting that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s restrictions on members violated the separation of powers. 

The plaintiffs in this case, the House Democrats, “are undoubtedly frustrated with Defendants’ repeated attempts to impose a notice requirement,” Cobb’s decision says. “But in taking further action, Defendants are required to abide by the terms of the Court’s order and act consistently with the legal principles announced in this opinion.”

Cobb previously blocked the Trump administration’s expedited deportation effort, asserting that federal agencies exceeded their statutory authority and violated due process protections for illegal aliens. 

Cobb also restricted the Trump administration’s deployment of National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., and determined that the administration intruded on local rule. However, she didn’t order a halt to the deployments. 

“This is yet another victory against an administration whose cruel and inhumane immigration policies have inflicted a heavy toll on communities across the nation,” Neguse, the Colorado Democrat and lead plaintiff, said in a statement.

“We will never stop standing up for transparency and accountability, and we will continue to make clear that no president or administration can bend the rule of law to their will.”

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