Noem Nails It: DHS Releases New ICE Visitation Rules Maxine Waters and Jerry Nadler Will Hate

It looks like the days of Democrats turning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities into campaign backdrops are over — and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem is making sure of it.

On Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security unveiled new regulations to rein in grandstanding lawmakers who have been using ICE detention centers as props in political theater. According to Just the News, the new rules are aimed at restoring order and professionalism following last month’s chaotic incident at Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey.

That’s where Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver of New Jersey found herself charged with three counts of forcibly impeding and interfering with federal officers after a physical altercation — caught on camera — with law enforcement. If convicted, she could face up to 16 years in prison.

But McIver isn’t the only offender. Veteran leftists like Reps. Jerrold Nadler and Maxine Waters have also tried to storm detention facilities in recent weeks. Nadler made a scene on Wednesday in New York, while Waters, as usual, tried to use her “congressional authority” to score points during the recent Los Angeles unrest by demanding access to a jailed union boss.

DHS has clearly had enough.

The new policy requires members of Congress to give ICE field offices at least 72 hours’ notice before a visit, and their staff must notify the office 24 hours in advance. Lawmakers can no longer just show up with media in tow and pretend it’s about “oversight.”

If they want to speak with detainees, they must either:

• Provide a list of names, registration numbers, and valid signed privacy releases, or
• Give 48 hours' notice to create a voluntary sign-up list for detainees.

Oh, and one more thing — no cameras.

“ICE will not facilitate meetings with detainees in detention facilities without valid, signed privacy releases,” the new DHS guidance stated plainly.

“If Members and/or Congressional staff would like to meet with a specific detainee or set of detainees, please provide names, alien registration numbers, and valid, signed privacy releases with your request.”

Even group size and visit itineraries can now be adjusted to reduce disruption at the facilities, according to The Hill.

Naturally, the professional outrage machine kicked into gear. Democrat Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi threw a tantrum, calling the new policy “an affront to the Constitution and Federal law.”

“No matter how much she and [President] Trump want to force us to live under their authoritarian rule, ICE is not above oversight,” Thompson fumed in a press statement. “This unlawful policy is a smokescreen to deny Member visits to ICE offices across the country.”

In other words, Thompson is mad he can’t walk into a federal facility unannounced, cameras blazing, and pretend he’s running a real investigation.

But here’s the truth: this isn’t about oversight — it’s about optics.

If Congress actually wanted to investigate DHS, it would do so through formal hearings and document requests — not by bum-rushing detention centers for a photo-op. These staged “inspections” have always been about fundraising and political drama, not fact-finding.

Now that the Trump administration — through DHS Secretary Noem — is putting a stop to the spectacle, Democrats are losing one of their favorite soapboxes. And judging by the hysterical reaction from the left, it’s clear the new policy hits exactly where it hurts.

Congressional authority doesn’t mean you get to play reality TV star at ICE facilities. If you want oversight, grab a gavel — not a camera.