SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — San Diego's four Democratic congressmembers were turned away for the second time in a week when they attempted to conduct an oversight visit at the federal courthouse in downtown San Diego. The lawmakers are seeking to inspect basement holding areas where Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees have reportedly been held in poor conditions.
"They've said that until the folks in Washington approve this, they're not going to allow us to visit and observe for ourselves," Rep. Scott Peters said on Monday.
The lawmakers want to inspect a basement area where volunteers, attorneys, and family members say their loved ones, detained by ICE, were being held in subpar conditions for longer than allowed by law. At one point, there were reports of up to 200 people inside the facility. On Monday, ICE denied those claims.
"We don't know if they're women, children, who's held there. We don't know because they won't let us go down and see," Rep. Juan Vargas said.
The congressional leaders say they were told they couldn't conduct their oversight visit due to the government shutdown. However, last week, they say, they were given a different reason: they needed to provide more advance notice.
"They told us the 48-hour rule. We followed that. The seven-day rule, we followed that. And yet, once again, they say no," Vargas said.
RELATED: Congressional members denied access to federal courthouse basement amid detention concerns
Vargas showed emails his office sent requesting the oversight visit. All four congressmembers also sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and ICE's acting director expressing their concerns.
In a statement Monday afternoon, ICE disputed the congressmembers' account and defended conditions at the facility.
"These Democrat politicians' statements are dishonest—Claims that they were approved for a site visit are categorically FALSE. No approval was granted, and no staff were available to process such a request during the government shutdown," ICE said.
"Allegations that the San Diego Federal Building has subprime conditions or overcrowding are FALSE. All detainees have unlimited access to food, water, and snacks. The food is NOT spoiled. Ensuring the safety, security, and well-being of individuals in our custody is a top priority at ICE," the statement continued.
ICE also said it has worked to expand detention space through partnerships it described as "Alligator Alcatraz, Cornhusker Clink, Louisiana Lockup, and Speedway Slammer" to house what it called "the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens."
Still, the congress members say they want to see the conditions for themselves.
"Today, ICE told us that there aren't hundreds of folks detained downstairs. They said there are a few, but we weren't able to see that for ourselves," Rep. Sara Jacobs said.
"We'd love to believe them. We'd love to take their word for it, but we need to see for ourselves," Peters said.
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