Horsford says he was denied access to Pahrump ICE center, called ‘security risk’

Rep. Steven Horsford said Thursday that he was denied entry to a immigration detention center in Pahrump for an oversight inspection, alleging that despite his legal right to inspect the center, he was told he posed a “security risk.”

The privately-operated Nevada Southern Detention Center contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hold migrants in the federal agency’s custody.

“I am here to do my job as an elected member of Congress to do an oversight inspection of this facility,” said Horsford, D-Nevada, in a video published on social media from outside the entry gate. “Unfortunately, they are putting hurdle after hurdle in front of us.”

The jail, one of three ICE detention centers in Nevada, is operated by CoreCivic.

Horsford said that Warden John Mattos came to the gate