Rep. Gomez Joins Lawsuit Against Trump-Vance Administration Over Blocked Oversight Access of Detention Facilities

Washington, July 30, 2025

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Rep. Jimmy Gomez (CA-34) alongside a dozen individual members of the U.S. House of Representatives, filed the first lawsuit by members of the House of Representatives against the Trump-Vance administration, challenging its unlawful obstruction of congressional oversight into federal immigration detention facilities, where both Americans and noncitizens have been detained without due process.

“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,” said Rep. Jimmy Gomez (CA-34). “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.”

Congressman Gomez has made three separate oversight attempts to visit facilities where migrants, including children, are reportedly being held in harsh or inhumane conditions. On each occasion, he was either denied entry or blocked by ICE and DHS officials: 

  • June 7, 2025 – Denied entry to the Roybal Federal Building Detention Center during an oversight visit with fellow Members of Congress, despite federal law granting access.
    Read statement → click
  • June 9, 2025 – Returned to the Roybal facility and was again denied entry, even after presenting his official Congressional ID at the door.
    Watch video → click
  • June 17, 2025 – Despite providing advance notice and following all proper protocols, Congressman Gomez was once again blocked from entering the Roybal Detention Center, marking his third denied oversight attempt in less than two weeks.
    Watch video → click 
In June 2025, the Trump-Vance Administration implemented a new, unlawful policy that mandates a seven-day notice period and prohibits access to field offices where people are being detained, despite a federal law that prevents these restrictions. This new policy blocks Members of Congress from obtaining real time information necessary to perform their constitutional duty to ensure the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is complying with federal law in operating these facilities and to oversee how billions in taxpayer dollars are being spent. 
 
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 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sites where noncitizens are detained without prior notice.  
At a time when the administration is detaining more individuals than ever before—over 58,000 people—and reports of mistreatment, overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, and the detention of U.S. citizens are growing, the need for real-time, on-the-ground oversight has never been more urgent. Eleven people have died in immigration custody in the first six months of this administration. DHS’s recent mass layoffs of internal oversight personnel only deepen the concerns about this conduct and possible abuse. 
 
The lawsuit plaintiffs include Assistant Democratic Leader Joe Neguse; Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Rep. Adriano Espaillat; Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Rep. Bennie G. Thompson; Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Rep. Jamie Raskin; House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Ranking Member Rep. Robert Garcia; House Homeland Security Committee Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement Ranking Member Rep. J. Luis Correa; Rep. Jason Crow; Rep. Veronica Escobar; Rep. Dan Goldman; Rep. Jimmy Gomez; Rep. Raul Ruiz; and Rep. Norma Torres. 
 
The congressional leaders are represented by Democracy Forward Foundation and American Oversight. 
 
Read the complaint here

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