Judge won't block DHS policy on lawmaker access to ICE facilities

AP News • January 19, 2026 • nation

Key Points:

A federal judge, Jia Cobb, declined to temporarily block the Trump administration's new policy requiring a seven-day notice before congressional visits to immigration detention facilities, ruling that the challenge was brought through an improper procedural method.
The judge clarified that she was not ruling on the legality of the policy itself, but noted that the January 8, 2026 policy is a new agency action separate from a previous policy she had temporarily blocked in December 2025.
The policy reinstatement followed an incident where three Democratic members of Congress were denied access to an ICE facility shortly after an ICE officer fatally shot a U.S. citizen in Minneapolis, prompting legal challenges alleging obstruction of congressional oversight.
Plaintiffs argue that the administration is violating a law prohib