U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) was denied entry to two immigration detention centers in Texas on Tuesday.
In a series of social media videos chronicling the trip, Murphy said he planned to visit multiple centers but was prepared to be sent away. His trip comes weeks after the Department of Homeland Security issued guidance to members of Congress, requiring them to give seven days' notice before visiting an ICE detention center.
Until June of 2025, members of Congress were allowed to visit the centers without giving prior notice. DHS imposed the seven-day rule in June, but it was blocked by a federal judge in December.
An identical memo was issued weeks ago. A federal judge declined to block it again on Tuesday.
Murphy said seven days of notice shouldn't be necessary.
“It tells you that these guys have something to hide if they are not letting members of Congress in with less than seven days' notice,” Murphy said. “It tells you how much work they know they need to do to cover up and hide the things they don't want us to see.”
In the memo, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said time is needed to make sure conditions are safe for the visit.
“The basis for this policy is that advance notice is necessary to ensure adequate protection for Members of Congress, congressional staff, detainees, and ICE employees alike,” Noem wrote. “Unannounced visits require pulling ICE officers away from their normal duties. Moreover, there is an increasing trend of replacing legitimate oversight activities with circus-like publicity stunts, all of which create a chaotic environment with heightened emotions.”
After being denied from the centers, Murphy said he met with two families recently released from detention. He described one, Dilley Immigration Processing Center, as “baby jail.” It’s primarily used to house women and children.
On Wednesday, he spent the morning at San Antonio’s immigration court.
While at the courthouse, Murphy said he was asked to sit in on an immigration hearing with a family and their two-year-old child.
He described the experience as “bone chilling.”
“They asked me to sit in on their hearing in hopes that maybe ICE would be less likely to put this two-year-old child into jail if there was a United States Senator standing beside them,” Murphy said. “So that's what we did. We went into the courtroom. We sat behind them. At the end of their case, we walked with them out of the court, quickly into the elevator, down to the parking lot, and got them to their car.”
“There's no certainty in this, but what their lawyer said is that it was likely that if you weren't there, at the very least, the father would have been taken from his two-year-old child,” Murphy said. “Again, this father is playing by the rules. He's doing everything he is required to do.”
According to DHS, more than 675,000 people have been deported since President Donald Trump (R) took office on January 20, 2025. An additional 2.2 million have “self-deported,” according to the administration.
In comparison, 271,000 people were deported in 2024, the final full year of the Biden administration.
