PAHRUMP (KTNV) — Nevada Congressman Steven Horsford completed a two-hour tour of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Pahrump today after previously being denied access despite congressional oversight rights.
WATCH | Horsford questions improved conditions at ICE facility during oversight visit
Horsford met with nine detainees who reported that cleanliness and food quality had improved in just the last two weeks, coinciding with his efforts to gain access to 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.
The congressman had attempted to tour the facility last month but was denied by the warden, despite a law stating that members of Congress cannot be barred from any Department of Homeland Security facility.
ICE officials responded to the incident by saying requests for visits should "be made with sufficient time."
During his visit, Horsford learned that detainees struggled to get medical care and faced severe communication restrictions, including a weekly 20-minute limit on phone calls broken into just 5-minute segments, making it difficult to consult with their attorneys.
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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