The Department of Homeland Security has issued new guidance requiring lawmakers to provide at least seven days' notice before visiting Immigrations and Customs Enforcement facilities, a policy change that comes soon after an ICE officer fatally shot protester Renee Good during an operation in Minneapolis.
Thursday's memo, issued by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, says visit requests must be submitted during normal business hours to ICE's Office of Congressional Relations and must include the proposed date, location, duration, and names and titles of all participants.
Only lawmakers and confirmed congressional staff would be allowed to participate.
The memo follows a Dec. 17 ruling in Neguse v. ICE in which a federal judge in Washington, D.C., stayed DHS' prior guidance after finding it inconsistent with Section 527(b) of DHS appropriations law.
That provision bars DHS from using appropriated funds to prevent lawmakers and certain congressional employees from entering DHS facilities for oversight if they are used to detain or house noncitizens.
The court also found that covered facilities include ICE field offices and holding facilities, according to the memo.
While the memo states DHS disagrees with the court decision, it argues a separate funding stream is not subject to Section 527's limits.
The document says funds derived from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act are not covered by Section 527 restrictions, and it directs ICE to implement and enforce the new policy "exclusively" using that money.
The memo instructs that time and resources connected to the policy must be logged and funded from that source.
DHS justified the advance notice rule by citing security and operational concerns, stating that unannounced visits can pull ICE personnel away from normal duties and that recent oversight activity has increasingly been replaced by "circus-like publicity stunts" that create "a chaotic environment with heightened emotions."
Federal officials, including Noem, have described the shooting of Good as self-defense, while local officials have disputed that account and cited video they say appears to show Good driving away from officers when she was shot.
Minnesota authorities have opened a criminal investigation.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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