A bicameral petition asks the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to reverse its decision to temporarily suspend public officials responsible for overseeing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers, citing the government shutdown.

“We are writing to you to express our deep concern regarding your decision to temporarily suspend Department of Homeland Security officials “(DHS) of the Office of Detention Oversight (ODO),” the congressmen stated in the letter addressed to Secretary Kristi Noem. “Given concerns for the safety of human life, we urge you to immediately reclassify the DHS officials responsible for oversight, pursuant to the Antideficiency Act, and reinstate them to their positions.” The letter is spearheaded by Virginia congressmen: Representative James R. Walkinshaw (District 11), Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), and Representatives Don Beyer, Jr. (District 8) and Suhas Subramanyam (District 10). The lawmakers expressed concern over the temporary suspension of the ODO, the unit responsible for inspecting facilities, investigating abuses, and ensuring humane conditions for detainees. They added that the Antideficiency Act provides an emergency exception for employees whose work is “necessary to prevent or avert an imminent threat to human life or safety.” Thus, the lawmakers believe that the staff of the ODO, whose functions are essential to preventing death, serious injury, or severe harm, could be granted this exception during a government shutdown. Congressional leaders warned that suspending oversight personnel during a government shutdown could endanger human lives. “The decision to temporarily suspend all ODO personnel is a clear attempt to sabotage oversight of conditions at ICE detention centers and the well-being of detainees,” lawmakers said. “This is not hypothetical:ICE has publicly reported that at least twenty people have died in its custody since January.”