DHS Imposes 7-Day Notice for Congressional ICE Facility Inspections

New DHS Policy on Congressional Oversight

• 📌 The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has reimposed a policy requiring a 7-day prior notice for members of Congress to inspect ICE detention facilities.
• 🏛️ This policy was previously blocked by a federal judge in December, who stated that DHS appropriations law prohibited funds from being used to restrict congressional oversight.
• 📜 DHS is now enforcing this restriction by citing the "one big beautiful bill act", legislation signed by President Trump that provided funding for ICE.

ICE Detention Statistics

• 📊 As of last week, ICE was holding approximately 69,000 people across the country, the highest tally in the agency's history.
• ⚖️ Of these detainees, about 48% (33,000) are non-criminal detainees held solely for civil immigration violations.
• ⚠️ Approximately 26% of detainees had criminal charges, and another 26% had criminal convictions, though the severity of these crimes is not detailed in the data.
• 👥 The data indicates that many individuals arrested and detained are allegedly in the country illegally but do not have a criminal record.