Rep. Ilhan Omar and Rep. Angie Craig were removed from ICE's Whipple Building in Minneapolis after officials cited a new DHS policy requiring lawmakers to provide seven days' notice for facility visits. Omar said they entered with authorization to conduct congressional oversight and were later told access was rescinded. The administration says the requirement complies with funding rules tied to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, while DHS argued the visit raised safety and policy concerns. A previous, similar rule was struck down by a federal judge, setting the stage for further legal and political dispute.
Omar and Craig Removed From Minneapolis ICE Facility After DHS Imposes Seven-Day Notice Requirement
Rep. Ilhan Omar, center, joined by Reps. Kelly Morrison, left, and Angie Craig, arrive outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building on Jan. 10, 2026, in Minneapolis.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) were escorted out of Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Whipple Building in Minneapolis on Saturday after facility staff said the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) now requires lawmakers to provide seven days' advance notice before visiting detention sites.
Omar said she and other Minnesota lawmakers entered the building believing they had authorization to conduct congressional oversight. According to Omar, they were initially allowed in by a long-serving staff member who understood their Article I oversight responsibilities.
Rep. Ilhan Omar arrives for an oversight visit at the Whipple Building on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026.
"We were initially invited in to do our congressional oversight and to exercise our Article I duties," Omar told reporters. "When we made it in, it was with the authorization of someone who's been here for a really long time, who understood that we had a congressional duty to enter the building and see the facility."
Omar said that shortly after they entered, two officials arrived and said they had received a message rescinding the invitation and denying further access. "Shortly after we were let in, two officials came in and said they received a message that we were no longer allowed to be in the building and that they were rescinding our invitation and denying any further access to the building," she said.
What Lawmakers Say They Observed
Omar said the delegation was able to briefly question facility staff about detainee hygiene and other conditions. She described the responses they received as "insane" and accused officials of downplaying how long detainees remain at the facility.
U.S. Border Patrol agents detain a person near Roosevelt High School during dismissal time as federal immigration enforcement actions sparked unrest in Minneapolis on Jan. 7, 2026.
Administration Response and Legal Context
The Trump administration announced the seven-day notice requirement on Saturday. Federal officials say the order complies with federal law because the facility's funding, they contend, is sourced from the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" rather than from direct congressional appropriations.
A DHS spokeswoman, Tricia McLaughlin, told reporters that the lawmakers entered with the "explicit goal of 'hunting down' ICE officers who they believed may have been staying there." McLaughlin said the visit "was improper and out of compliance with existing court orders and policies which mandate that members of Congress must notify ICE at least seven days in advance of congressional visits," adding that the measure is intended to protect detainee and staff safety.
This is the administration's second attempt to impose such a notice requirement: a federal judge previously struck down a similar rule proposed by then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, finding that federal spending laws require members of Congress to have access to facilities that receive federal funds. The dispute raises fresh questions about the balance between congressional oversight rights and agency safety and operational rules.
Lawmakers and DHS have given competing accounts of the incident. The situation could prompt further congressional inquiries or legal challenges to clarify lawmakers' access to federally funded facilities and the scope of DHS's notification requirements.
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