A congressmember from upstate New York was blocked from inspecting an immigration detention facility outside of Buffalo this week, the latest in a pattern of Department of Homeland Security officials blocking oversight visits.<\/p>\n
U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko said he traveled to the jail complex in Batavia to check on residents of his Capital Region district who he believed were being held there. Federal law allows congressmembers<\/a> to visit detention facilities without any prior notice.<\/p>\n The Democrat posted a video on Instagram<\/a> on Wednesday with the facility\u2019s guard gate in the background. It showed him waving a copy of a June DHS inspector general\u2019s report<\/a> that found the facility\u2019s medical team was understaffed as well as instances where guards used force improperly.<\/p>\n \u201cThe results of this report provide further justification and urgency for an unannounced visit and congressional oversight,\u201d Tonko said. \u201cYet still, I was denied entry. That is upsetting not only to me, but I think to the entire Congress.\u201d<\/p>\n Representatives from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as well as the Department of Homeland Security haven\u2019t returned an email Thursday seeking comment. Congressional aides said they believed it was the first unannounced inspection attempt at the facility this year.<\/p>\n The increased desire for oversight is happening as President Donald Trump\u2019s administration has increased immigration detention around the country. Democrats have complained that detained immigrants are being held in substandard conditions.<\/p>\n And DHS\u2019 denial of access to Tonko came after a dozen other congressmembers sued DHS over its refusal to allow inspections. Plaintiffs in the suit include Reps. Dan Goldman and Adriano Espaillat of New York City.<\/p>\n Goldman was denied entry to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn last week. He and Espaillat were previously rebuffed while trying to inspect holding areas of 26 Federal Plaza,<\/a> a Lower Manhattan building where ICE has detained immigrants<\/a> who attend scheduled court appearances in the office building.<\/p>\n \u201cThe American people deserve a government that tells the truth, follows the law and does not cover up abuse,\u201d Goldman said in a statement.<\/p>\n The members who are suing DHS said in court papers that starting in 2019, appropriations bills included explicit rights to inspect detention facilities. The bills were signed into law by Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden.<\/p>\n