>> Some members of Congress are saying they've been turned away from local ice facilities as they seek transparency on the conditions detainees are experiencing.

Federal law allows Congress members to perform oversight of these facilities announced.

But the Trump administration says congressional visits have to be approved several days in advance by the Homeland Security secretary.

Joining us to discuss this issue are Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat from the northwest suburbs, Congresswoman Delia Ramirez, Democrat from Chicago and Congressman Jesus Garcia.

Also a Democrat from Chicago.

Thanks to the 3 of you for joining us.

I know it's a busy time for you.

Representatives, Ramirez and RC.

I want to start with you because you're both recently turned away from visiting an ice facility in broadview suburban Broadview.

Representative Ramirez starting with you, please.

What happened there?

>> We went to vote over sided with Congressman Davis and Jackson.

We rang the doorbell waited for a long time.

To have then head to the driveway where we saw some unmarked cars coming in and out.

And Congressman Garcia identified To someone through a hole in the fence because that wouldn't even have the audacity to come out and speak to us.

And when we from that, we have the Congressional Authority to conduct oversight, someone who was unwilling identify themselves just sent to us per guidance from his supervisors that we should just send e-mail.

If you want to come the night access to members of Congress full authority to Appropriations Act to conduct unannounced visits.

>> Representative Garcia, what was your reaction when all this was happening that day?

>> I was very angry disappointed to say the least.

brought us to that Broadway of Broadview facility is the fact that the Trump administration is targeting immigrants indiscriminately, including legal residents and U.S. citizens and violating their rights and their due process.

And we've seen ICE agents operating in secrecy and wearing masks, refused to show warrants and disappearing people without cause.

That's not law enforcement.

That's lawlessness.

And we're also there to visit people that we believe are detention at that facility, even though it's not supposed to be a detention center.

But people got a chance to see how ice is operating in this day and age.

These are extreme actions of this administration and they include kidnapping immigrants and sending them to prison sentence.

Some of only one time will in the South, Sudan Libya and other countries.

Things are out of control and they're going to get worse because in the big of the bill as Democrats call it, there is unprecedented amount of funding.

billion that's come through the Judiciary Committee where I am a member for the tension to fund private detention centers.

There's 14 billion for transportation and removal and 67 billion for border enforcement and security including building of the use.

This wall at the border.

>> Representative Krishnamoorthi you and Congressman Jackson.

You're also recently turned away from the South Loop ICE facility.

What happened to you all there?

>> your viewers may be familiar with this, but essentially I sent out hundreds if not thousands of text messages.

2 residents of the Chicago area summoning them to this ice facility in the South loop for, quote, unquote.

Check in appointments as they were pursuing their asylum cases are to build their status.

People came down town due to flee, including on Father's Day.

And the people got snatched essentially when they showed up by ICE from their families, their families didn't know where they went or where they had been taken.

I should say.

And so Congressman Jackson, I showed up to the ice facility to find out and we were met asked agent who refused to identify himself, refused to even show his badge, refused answer any questions.

And then he promptly call the Chicago police to evict us as trespassers from this ICE facility.

And that was absolutely unacceptable.

And we since written to Kristi Noem, the Department of Homeland Security secretary demanding inspection of those premises.

And we're going to continue to follow up.

>> Ok, so here is a bit of what Congressman Jackson said at that South Loop facility after being turned away at the time.

>> People are going missing.

This has been very disruptive and very yeah, we don't know if there was substantiated, ordinary missing persons reports.

We need to be filed.

people's fans have been abducted.

Were people being kidnapped?

We're just asking to clarify to put to this chaos.

>> Representative Ramirez, another that seems to keep coming up is ICE agents that you all are being confronted with or that some of the people who may be in the process of being deported or being confronted with are not necessarily always identifying themselves sometimes wearing masks to conceal their identity.

What do you make of that?

>> I mean, they're not.

It's not just consider identity to the mask that we find to be completely unacceptable.

I know law enforcement, no one that's actually up to good things and following rules should covering their face to start pulling him, taking people.

But they're also not providing this batch numbers.

minus names.

I serve and Homeland security in oversight of Comedy Investigation Subcommittee.

And when the questions we brought are these people that are mask?

How did they get training for the former correctional officers?

Are these subcontractors that they put some fire out there just hired included people.

The idea that we don't know who these people are and they're unwilling to identify themselves to members of Congress Congressional authority ask end to these facilities.

It's not just unacceptable unconstitutional.

And these mask agents and we're gonna column are violating the Constitution.

It's why yesterday in committee we have requests a subpoena to Secretary Noem to coming answer the questions who they are and why they think it's OK to not allow us to come into the facilities.

>> And, of course, Representative Christian more thing I know you all are referring to congressional Explain what that is duty in the authority of the Congress to conduct that oversight.

>> remembered.

>> You know, Congress has the prerogative and the obligation to conduct oversight with regard to execution of the loss.

In this case, it happens to be immigration laws for immigration enforcement and not only that, but we fund that immigration enforcement so as a consequence, we we have the right to make sure that those funds are spent properly and that the enforcement is done within the law.

The fact that they are not willing to answer these questions means that they are they believe that they are above the law, that they don't need to be held accountable for anything.

And what we know from history is when people act with impunity, the way that they are right now.

things happen.

That's why a four-year-old citizen child with cancer is deported from this country.

That's why Eagle residents are being deported without due process of law.

And so we know more bad things are going to happen.

And so we have to prevent it by conducting this oversight.

of course, you're referring to oversight beyond what we typically see.

>> Coming from Congress members, which is an oversight hearing that might happen on the Oversight Committee.

>> I can also happen obviously when Congress woman, Ramirez and Congressman Garcia and high Mr. Jackson showed up.

We were basically taking over site to another level in the sense that, you know what, people don't respond here.

Tax and the emails and phone calls the way that ice doesn't.

By the way, they basically switched off their phones and they don't talk to our offices anymore.

Well, we're just going to show up.

We're just going to show up and do oversight in person.

And so it's a little bit extreme oversight, but that's what's necessary now.

>> So we did receive a statement just this afternoon from DHS, Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.

It reads, quote, As Iceland forsman have seen a surge in assaults, disruptions and obstructions to enforcement, including by politicians themselves any request to tour processing centers in field offices must be approved by the secretary of Homeland Security.

These requests must be part of legitimate congressional oversight activities.

It goes on to say, as for visits to detention facilities request should be made with sufficient time to prevent interference with the president's article.

2 authority to oversee Executive department functions a week is sufficient to ensure no intrusion on the president's constitutional authority.

So a week is an increase beyond what we previously heard from DHS and ICE requesting 72 hours notice Representative Garcia, the very law does the very law that gives Congress members this oversight not also prevent DHS from implementing this requirement of notice.

>> That's correct.

The law is very clear.

Congress appropriates funds for the operation of federal facilities on these are federal facilities and federal employees.

And we have the right to visit at any time on an ounce.

What they're cooking up over the past seem to be justification for why they are refusing to let my members of Congress our job.

Those are not requirements that have in the law.

They are not in the loft.

They're making in an effort to hide something.

We want to shed light on what is going on.

We want to the conditions.

We have constituents that we want to visit and we have a right to know whether people have food, whether people are getting water, whether people are being able to take their medicines with.

They have beds to sleep because we have heard stories to the contrary.

There's also overabundance of people that are being detained adequate facilities.

We simply want to verify and have the authority to do so under the laws of this country.

With respect to the first point that that spokesperson for protests and the intensification of the protest occurred after provocation by large numbers of federal agents that have been mobilized and assigned to monitor of court rooms to be at these report facilities.

It's what triggered the situation in LA the mass resistance to the arbitrary and profiling of people that includes the detention of people for how the and look where the seek work.

And of course, for their detention and subsequent deportation has expanded to include the legal residents and U.S. citizens.

question who will be next if this continues?

>> Okay.

We'll have to leave it there.

And we look forward to hearing from you all as well as DHS in the future as