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Rep. Krishnamoorthi demands ICE facility access after being blocked
Krishnamoorthi had attempted to inspect the South Loop Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP) facility but was denied entry.
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Staff Reporter - Mon, 23, Jun 2025
- 15:48 EDT
- 15
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Raja Krishnamoorthi / File Photo
Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08) on June 23 demanded access to a Chicago Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility after being blocked from conducting an oversight visit.
Krishnamoorthi, who is a member of the House Oversight Committee, and fellow Illinois Democrat Jonathan Jackson had attempted to inspect the South Loop Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP) facility at 2245 S. Michigan Avenue on June 17, but were denied entry.
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An ICE officer on site refused to identify himself and summoned the Chicago Police Department, accusing the lawmakers of trespassing. The two congressmen, who remained in the facility’s lobby for approximately 30 minutes, were ultimately escorted out by police.
“We were denied the ability to perform congressional oversight – as is our duty as members of the United States House of Representatives,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. “During the visit to this facility, the ICE officer who refused to identify himself called the Chicago Police Department to evict us for ‘trespassing.’”
Their attempted visit followed reports that ICE had detained at least 10 individuals who were summoned to the same facility via text message for what were described as routine appointments. “It is unclear exactly how many people were taken, where they were taken to, and if they were given access to counsel,” the lamakers’ letter states. “We were denied those answers.”
Krishnamoorthi and Jackson stressed that members of Congress are legally entitled to conduct unannounced inspections of federally funded facilities and demanded immediate access to the facility and transparency around its operations, warning that such obstruction of oversight raised serious legal and constitutional questions.
They also raised broader alarm over what they described as a pattern of aggressive immigration enforcement under the administration of President Donald Trump, who earlier this month announced the launch of the “single largest mass deportation program in American history,” naming Democratic-led cities like Chicago as targets.
“The President’s politically motivated actions are deeply troubling, particularly for communities like ours in Illinois that have already seen intensified enforcement activity in recent weeks,” the lawmakers wrote.
They flagged multiple reports of poor treatment and due process violations in ICE facilities across Illinois. One case they highlighted involved longtime Chicago resident and community leader Gladis Yolanda Chavez Pineda, who was reportedly detained after responding to a text from ICE and later transferred to a Kentucky jail. Her family described inhumane conditions, including lack of hygiene products, overcrowding, and restricted access to information.
“These are not isolated incidents—they point to broader systemic failures in enforcement and facility oversight,” the lawmakers wrote. They also warned that if DHS continues to obstruct oversight efforts, legislative remedies including subpoenas could follow.
The congressmen’s demand follows a June 19 directive from the Trump’s department of Homeland Security requiring lawmakers to provide at least 72 hours’ notice before visiting ICE field offices—and granting ICE “sole and unreviewable discretion” to deny, cancel or reschedule such visits—effectively imposing new restrictions on oversight access.
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