San Diego Rep. Juan Vargas (D-Calif.) was turned away from the Otay Mesa Detention Center Friday when he arrived for an unannounced oversight inspection.
Vargas said his visit was in response to reports detainees had thrown notes wrapped around deodorant and lotion bottles describing sub-standard food and living conditions.
Vargas's district includes the facility. He said his office has also been receiving complaints about the conditions inside.
"I have every right to go in and do oversight and inspection of this facility and they said "no," Vargas told reporters outside the detention center. "I'm extremely disappointed. I think it's a violation of the law and we'll see them in court."
The facility is run by CoreCivic, which also runs the family detention facility in Dilley, Texas, among others.
Vargas said the warden of the Otay Mesa center said he was under orders from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) not to allow him inside.
The denial came just days after a federal judge ruled the Department of Homeland Security likely broke the law when it barred other members of Congress from visiting immigrant detention facilities unannounced.
Vargas said he's never had an issue getting in until now.
"They've always allowed me in," he said. "Today, they didn't. I attempted to negotiate with them — I said that, you know, I have every right to be here under the law, a judge has allowed that and they refused entry."
Officials at the facility gave Vargas a Jan. 8 memo from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem explaining a policy requiring lawmakers request a visit to ICE facilities at least seven days in advance.
Congressional Democrats are in the midst of a funding dispute with Republicans over ICE, with Democratic leadership demanding body cameras, judicial warrants for arrests and an end to masking among agents.
Vargas says those demands do not go far enough.
"Democrats have to do a lot more," Vargas said when asked about the funding demands. "(ICE has) trampled on the Constitution — the rights of the people. Now they've even murdered people. So we just can't say, 'okay, everything's fine, you know, we're just going to give you less money.' No. That agency should be dismantled completely."
