Calgary Watch Democratic Congressmen Try To Enforce A Federal Court Order At A D.C. Airport | HuffPost Latest News - Action.News ABC Action News WestNet-HD Weather Traffic

DULLES, Va. Nearly 24 hours after a federal judge ordered U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Washington Dulles International Airport to grant attorneys access to green card holders detained as a result of President Donald Trump s executive order , customs officials continued to deny them access.

But the obstruction went event further. Customs officials refused to speak with several members of Congress who arrived at Dulles to demand that CBP comply with the court order.

Airport police officers cordoned off the area where CBP was questioning detained travelers and were preventing anybody from entering. Washington-area Democratic Reps. Gerry Connolly (Va.), Don Beyer (Va.) and Jamie Raskin (Md.) demanded that airport police officers allow them to at least speak to customs officials, but the cops claimed they could do so only if CBP allowed them to.

I am Gerald Connolly, Im a member of Congress, I represent right up to this airport and were asking for access to the people youre detaining, Connolly said.

And what Im telling you now is I have a major going back to discuss this with CBP. Were gonna ask them if you can come back, said John Damskey, deputy chief of police for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. If they say yes, absolutely fine, Ill take you back there myself. If they say no, were gonna ask them to come out and talk to you. Its up to them.

Connolly argued that even as an airport police officer, Damskey was legally bound to allow them to speak to CBP to ensure the authorities compliance with the court order.

Your job is to enforce the law, Connolly said, his voice rising with irritation. We have a federal judge who has ruled that anybody being detained is entitled to legal representation. Have they been denied that right or are they in fact getting legal representation?

What do you see your responsibility as in terms of enforcing a legitimate federal court order? Connolly persisted.

Beyer and other members of Congress now speaking to the crowd pic.twitter.com/y0Jay0whoV

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Beyer and other members of Congress now speaking to the crowd pic.twitter.com/y0Jay0whoV
jasoncherkis (@jasoncherkis) January 29, 2017

I want you to know that the Dulles police have actually been very helpful with the legal team, a lawyer told him off camera.

And I want them to know that Im going to be a pain in the ass, Connolly shot back.

After the standoff with the Dulles cop, Connolly was handed a phone. On the other line was CBPs congressional liaison office. Connolly tried to get a straight answer from them but got nowhere.

At one point in the conversation, a frustrated Connolly exclaimed that the official knew nothing since they were calling from a Washington office and he was actually on the scene at Dulles.

It was clear that the three congressmen, joined later by Rep. John Delaney (D-Md.), were not getting answers from anyone. At one point, Raskin, talking to a throng of reporters and volunteer immigration lawyers, asked: Is this America?

In the last 24 hours, Raskin said hes received five or six emails from constituents who are concerned about their status or a family members status. The rule of law is on a tightrope in America right now, he said.

The Republicans have to decide if they want to walk the plank with this guy, he added.

The official word is no one is being detained, Beyer said.

But given the length of time many travelers are being held for questions, it is hard not to see much of the treatment as a form of detention, he noted.

Beyer also ventured that customs officials were not speaking to them, because they dont want to come on camera and answer to members of Congress.