PAHRUMP (KTNV) — Nevada Congressman Steven Horsford toured an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Pahrump after previously being denied access despite congressional oversight rights.
Horsford said he met with nine detainees who reported that cleanliness and food quality had improved in just the last two weeks, coinciding with his attempts to visit the facility.
"The fact that those changes happened while ICE staff knew that I was trying to tour the facility to do an oversight inspection raises even more questions. What were the conditions like before? And what will they be like the moment ICE officials think that no one is watching them again?" Horsford said.
Detainees also told the congressman they struggled to get medical care and were limited to just 20 minutes of phone calls per week in 5-minute increments, making it difficult for them to speak with their lawyers.
Horsford had attempted to tour the facility last month but was denied by the warden, despite a law that states members of Congress cannot be barred from any facility operated by or for the Department of Homeland Security.
3 weeks ago, I was denied entry to the NV Southern Detention Center. Today, I saw delays in medical care, limited access to attorneys, and detainees moved in the dead of night. I’ve urged @HouseAppropsGOP to investigate DHS’s noncompliance starting with my denial. pic.twitter.com/7Fg9rqEgkl
— Rep. Steven Horsford (@RepHorsford) August 19, 2025
Channel 13 senior political reporter Steve Sebelius contributed to this report.
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