Rep. Raul Ruiz tours Imperial Regional Detention Facility

CALEXICO, Calif. (KYMA) - Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.) visited the Imperial Regional Detention Facility Tuesday, calling for stronger federal oversight.

The facility, located near the U.S.-Mexico border, houses migrants in federal custody as they await immigration proceedings.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) maintains that the facilities nationwide meet national detention standards and provides access to medical care, meals, and legal services.

Rep. Ruiz said he was granted access all of the sections of the facility that he requested, including the medical services unit.

"From what I saw, and again, it's just the one day pre-announced visit to the facility, is that they have their own pharmacy formulary and that they give the detainees their medication. But I have heard from detainees from other locations that sometimes they're not allowed access to their medication," he said.

Ruiz detailed a conversation he had with two migrants inside the facility, who expressed their failing hope.

"I spoke with two detainees who had just from exhaustion have given up. One had been under the custody of ICE for over a year and a half. They've been in this facility for three years. They get moved from one facility to another. That's not uncommon. I'm hearing reports that people are removed from their home base where," Ruiz explained.

Ruiz said he was pleased that the facility accommodated him and his staff.

"The court order allows for members of congress to go unannounced and not to be denied entry. That right has been violated at Adelanto. This facility [in Calexico] was accommodating, and we did give them notice before coming," he said.

Previously, Ruiz attempted a congressional oversight visit to the Adelanto ICE Processing and Detention Center.

Officials refused to grant him entry, saying he did not have the required approval, although Ruiz maintains that his office provided advanced notice.

A recent federal court ruling affirmed that members of Congress have the right to conduct oversight visits without restrictive notice policies.

Ruiz said he plans to continue pressing for transparency and accountability as the national debate over immigration continues.