Crow Returns to Court Against Trump Administration to Uphold Congressional Oversight of Immigration Detention Facilities

AURORA — Congressman Jason Crow (D-CO-06) will return to federal court against the Trump Administration to challenge their attempts at stonewalling Congress’s legal right to conduct oversight of federal immigration detention facilities.

Earlier this month, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem secretly imposed a policy requiring that members of Congress provide seven days’ notice before being granted access to these facilities. Under federal law, however, all members of Congress have the right to conduct unannounced oversight of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) facilities used for immigration detention, including facilities run by Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) and those operated by private companies.

In a statement, Congressman Crow and other lawsuit plaintiffs said: 

“The Trump administration is using billions of taxpayer dollars to carry out a violent and lawless immigration agenda with virtually no transparency or accountability. This is not only deeply dangerous — it is an affront to the rule of law and to our constitutional duty as Members of Congress. 2025 marked the deadliest year for those in ICE custody in more than two decades, with record detentions and mounting reports of abuse and inhumane conditions. We can’t turn a blind eye. We are returning to court to restore congressional oversight and hold this administration accountable to the American people.”

In July 2025, Congressman Crow sued the Trump Administration to uphold his right to conduct oversight of these facilities following his unlawful denial from a detention facility in Aurora.

Additional Members of Congress who were denied access to federal immigration detention facilities joined Crow as plaintiffs in the lawsuit: Representatives Joe Neguse (D-CO-02), Jamie Raskin (D-MD-08), Bennie Thompson (D-MS-02), Veronica Escobar (D-TX-16), Dan Goldman (D-NY-10), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY-13), Jimmy Gomez (D-CA-34), Norma Torres (D-CA-35), Raul Ruiz (D-CA-36), Robert Garcia (D-CA-42), Lou Correa (D-CA-46), and Kelly Morrison (MN-03).

Since his election to Congress, Crow has fought to promote transparency, oversight, and accountability in federal immigration detention centers. He introduced bipartisan legislation guaranteeing Members of Congress the right to conduct unannounced, in-person oversight visits of ICE detention facilities, including to check on any concerns related to public health and the humane treatment of detained individuals.

Crow regularly conducts oversight of Aurora’s immigration detention facility. Since 2019, he has visited the facility to conduct oversight ten times. Crow’s staff have also visited the facility more than 80 times to conduct oversight. Public reports of such visits, along with conditions at the facility, are published on Crow’s website.

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