Representative Jimmy Gomez joins lawsuit against Trump-Vance administration over immigration detention access

U.S. Congressman Jimmy Gomez (CA-34) joined a lawsuit with 12 other House members taking legal action against the Trump-Vance administration for blocking congressional access to immigration detention center facilities where both Americans and noncitizens are being detained without due process.

In June, Gomez made three separate attempts to visit facilities where undocumented immigrants, including children, are reportedly being held in harsh or inhumane conditions. On each occasion, he was either denied entry by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or blocked by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials.

“No child should be sleeping on concrete, and no sick person should be denied care, yet that’s exactly what we keep hearing is happening inside Trump’s detention centers, including the one in my own district that set off national outrage and protests across the country,” he said.

On June 7, Gomez was denied access to the Roybal Federal Building Detention Center and while returning two days later and presenting his official Congressional identification, he was once again refused entry.

On June 17, providing a seven-day advance notice and following proper protocol, Gomez was again blocked from entering the Roybal Detention Center, marking his third denied oversight attempt in less than two weeks.

The lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia demands that the administration comply with a federal law that guarantees members of Congress the right to conduct oversight visits to any DHS and ICE sites where noncitizens are detained without prior notice. 

“I’ve tried repeatedly to get inside and conduct oversight, only to be turned away. When ICE and DHS block members of Congress, they’re not just slamming the door on U.S. Representatives; they’re slamming it on the American people’s right to know how their government is treating human beings with their tax dollars. This lawsuit is our message: We as members of Congress will do our job, and we will not let these agencies operate in the shadows,” said Gomez.