Judge again blocks Noem restrictions on lawmakers' ICE facility visits

Source: The Hill

03/02/26 3:51 PM ET


A federal judge again struck down a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) policy seeking to block lawmakers from making unannounced visits to immigration detention facilities.

U.S. District Court Judge Jia Cobb on Monday found the latest iteration of an order from Secretary Kristi Noem requiring lawmakers to give seven days notice before visiting a facility also ran afoul of a prior appropriations law, which forbids funds from being used to bar impromptu congressional visits.

Cobb in December had struck down a similar policy, prompting Noem to issue a new order in January, claiming that only funds from President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill (OBBBA) would be used to enforce the policy at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities.

Lawmakers had printed out Cobb’s ruling, bringing it in hand to visit an ICE facility, only to be turned away, prompting the latest chapter in the challenge. In her Monday ruling, Cobb found DHS had relied on prior funding in drafting its latest order.

Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/5763401-judge-blocks-dhs-restrictions-visits/