he Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released revised guidelines that regulate access to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities by congressional members and their staff.

As per the new policy issued this week, congressional staff are now required to provide a minimum of 24 hours’ notice prior to visiting ICE detention centers. Furthermore, any visit to an ICE field office must be arranged in advance, as these locations are not deemed to be under congressional oversight protections according to federal law.

Although the policy recognizes that Section 527 of the FY2024 Consolidated Appropriations Act permits lawmakers to visit detention facilities without prior notice, it clearly forbids access to ICE field offices without prior approval from DHS, as reported by The Epoch Times.

“ICE Field Offices are not detention facilities and fall outside of the Sec. 527 requirements,” the guidelines indicate. Lawmakers will still have the opportunity to request visits to ICE field offices; however, they must submit their requests at least 72 hours beforehand. Only those individuals who have been approved through the visitor engagement process will be allowed to participate.

Moreover, while Section 527 provides members of Congress the right to access ICE detention facilities without prior notice, DHS retains the authority to temporarily deny entry under “exigent circumstances,” which may include operational or security-related issues, as reported by the outlet.

The newly implemented policy is a response to a series of recent visits to ICE facilities by Democratic lawmakers, some of which became contentious. In May, three Democratic Congress members, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, and a group of protesters reportedly “stormed the gate” of an ICE detention center in Newark, as stated by a DHS spokesperson who indicated that the incident posed a threat to public safety.

Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) defended the actions of the group, asserting that they were fulfilling their “lawful oversight responsibilities” and accused federal agents of escalating the situation. However, she has since been charged by U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, Alina Habba, after video evidence appeared to show her allegedly pushing and assaulting ICE agents.

“The guidelines indicate that field offices are not detention facilities but merely locations where aliens are processed, and therefore they are not subject to the Section 527 requirement,” The Epoch Times further reported.