A federal judge has once again struck down a Trump administration policy aimed at banning surprise visits by lawmakers to immigration detention facilities, ruling that the restrictions violate statutory oversight rights and improperly curtail congressional authority.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Diana Saldana in the Southern District of Texas granted a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of the policy, which sought to limit the ability of members of Congress and their staff to make unannounced inspections of facilities holding undocumented migrants. The judge’s ruling maintains the status quo, allowing lawmakers to continue conducting impromptu visits intended to assess conditions firsthand.
Saldana found that the government’s directive exceeded its legal authority and conflicted with existing federal law that grants Congress broad oversight powers to monitor agencies and facilities under the executive branch. The judge also criticized the administration’s rationale for the ban—that surprise inspections interfere with operations and security—as insufficient to justify curtailing legislative oversight. “Congressional access to detention facilities,” the opinion noted, “is not a privilege to be granted or withheld at the discretion of an executive agency.”
The lawsuit was brought by a bipartisan group of lawmakers and civil rights organizations, who argued that surprise visits are essential for ensuring humane treatment, transparency, and compliance with constitutional and statutory standards in facilities managed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Advocates have repeatedly documented concerns about overcrowding, inadequate medical care, and poor sanitary conditions at detention centers along the U.S.–Mexico border.
This is not the first time Judge Saldana has blocked the Trump administration’s efforts to restrict access. In an earlier ruling, she found that similar limitations on inspections harmed oversight and transparency, prompting the government to revise its policy. The administration responded with a new directive in late 2025 that again attempted to narrow the scope of unannounced visits, a move that the court has now rejected.
In issuing the injunction, Saldana emphasized that executive actions cannot undermine legislative authority or impede Congress’s constitutional role in checking the executive branch. Legal experts say the decision reinforces a fundamental principle of separation of powers, particularly in contexts where public interest in transparency and accountability is high.
The Justice Department is expected to appeal, asserting that the government must balance oversight with facility safety and operational concerns. However, for now, lawmakers and their aides retain the ability to make impromptu inspections of immigration detention sites, a tool crucial to ongoing scrutiny of conditions affecting thousands of migrants nationwide.