Members of Congress are being blocked from visiting ICE detention centers — and the consequences are devastating.

By law, elected officials have the right to make unannounced visits to immigration detention sites. These visits are one of the few ways the American public learns what’s really happening behind closed doors. But in recent months, a dozen members of Congress have been turned away at the gates. They're being told they need to wait seven days, or that the facilities don’t count as detention sites — even when people are clearly being held inside. Some lawmakers have been locked out entirely.

What are they trying to hide?

We’ve heard disturbing reports from past visits: children sleeping on cold concrete floors, people denied medical care, filthy conditions, and even the wrongful detention of U.S. citizens. And now, with more raids, more arrests, and $45 billion of taxpayer money flowing to ICE, public oversight has never been more critical.

No government agency — especially one holding people in cages — should be allowed to operate in the dark. Transparency is not a courtesy. It’s the law. And it’s a basic requirement for any institution funded by the American people and entrusted with life-or-death decisions.

We are calling on the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to immediately end this illegal blockade and allow members of Congress full and unannounced access to all ICE detention centers and field offices. Anything less is a cover-up.

Oversight is not optional. Accountability is not negotiable. The public has a right to know what’s happening in these facilities — and the people being held inside deserve dignity, safety, and justice.

Add your name to demand immediate transparency and lawful access now.

Photo: Bing Guan/Reuters