LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford announced a visit to the Nevada Southern Detention Center on Tuesday, three weeks after he said officials initially denied him entry to the facility.
In a release from Horsford’s office, the congressman said he conducted congressional oversight at the Nevada Southern Detention Center on Tuesday, three weeks after he said he was denied entry to the facility.
Horsford said he spoke with nine detainees, calling his findings “deeply disturbing.”
“Medical treatment can take weeks; detainees do not have reliable access to immigration attorneys or resources; and many have been moved across state lines in the dead of night without advance notice or understanding of where they were going,” Horsford said in the release.
In July, when Horsford was initially denied entry to the facility, officials said requests must be submitted ahead of visits like his.
“As ICE law enforcement has seen a surge in assaults, disruptions, and obstructions to enforcement — including by Members of Congress themselves — any requests to tour processing centers and field offices must be approved by the Secretary of Homeland Security,” said Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security. “These requests must be part of legitimate congressional oversight activities.”
Horsford’s letter urges an investigation into “noncompliance by the department,” including consideration of “appropriate corrective actions.”
FOX5 has reached out to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for a response to Horsford’s release. This article will be updated once that response is issued.
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