U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has responded to criticism the agency received from members of Colorado’s Democratic delegation following a tour of an Aurora detention facility Monday, accusing the lawmakers of demanding special treatment and “making up lies.”
Representatives Jason Crow (CO-6), Brittany Pettersen (CO-7), Joe Neguse (CO-2) and Diana DeGette (CO-1) paid a visit to the ICE facility Monday, claiming they faced obstacles in conducting routine oversight.
Crow claimed an “unacceptable” lack of transparency during the tour, which was granted three weeks after the congressman said he was denied access for an unannounced visit.
ICE on Tuesday pushed back on those claims in a statement to Denver7 political reporter Brandon Richard.
“To be honest, we could have written the congressional delegation’s press statements well in advance of the tour, given this tired tactic from the open borders Democrats – tour a facility, make up lies about it after,” ICE Assistant Director of Public Affairs Emily Covington said. “Accusations that ICE is denying access or hiding conditions at our detention centers [are] completely absurd, and we have the receipts to prove it.”
“Further, these members should know that demanding special treatment that breaks long-standing policies, and jeopardizes privacy, security and safety will not be considered.”
ICE’s statement claimed the lawmakers were 10 minutes late for the tour, and that they protested the facility’s cell phone policy the lawmakers were made aware of six days prior. The agency shared with Denver7 a screengrab of what appears to be an email dated Aug. 5 that outlines the rules of the tour, including the cell phone policy.
Just received this response from ICE @ICEgov about Colorado Democrats’ visit to the ICE detention center in Aurora yesterday:
— Brandon Richard (@BrandonLRichard) August 13, 2025
“To be honest, we could have written the congressional delegation’s press statements well in advance of the tour, given this tired tactic from the open… https://t.co/OUAxiAzEY5
The lawmakers met with a couple of detainees, including prominent immigrant rights activist Jeanette Vizguerra, during the visit. Rep. DeGette announced that she had filed a private bill that would allow Vizguerra to stay in the United States.
ICE said Vizguerra and Dennis Arosegui-Maldonado are “well known for gaming the immigration system.”
Crow and Neguse are among a group of a dozen lawmakers who sued the Trump administration last month over access to ICE facilities.
The Scripps News Group reached out to each member of the congressional delegation Tuesday night for comment on ICE’s response.
