Immigration
ICE Needs to Improve Its Oversight of Segregation Use in Detention Facilities
Report NumberOIG-22-01Issue DateDocument FileDHS AgencyOversight AreaFiscal Year2022DHS' Fragmented Approach to Immigration Enforcement and Poor Planning Resulted in Extended Migrant Detention during the 2019 Surge
Report NumberOIG-21-29Issue DateDocument FileDHS AgencyOversight AreaFiscal Year2021Capping Report: Observations of Unannounced Inspections of ICE Facilities in 2019
Executive SummaryWe found violations of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention standards undermining the protection of detainees’ rights and the provision of a safe and healthy environment. Although the conditions varied among the facilities and not every problem was present at each, our observations, interviews with detainees and staff, and review of documents revealed several common issues. At three facilities, we found segregation practices infringing on detainee rights. Detainees at all four facilities had difficulties resolving issues through the grievance and communication systems, including allegations of verbal abuse by staff. Two facilities had issues with classifying detainees according to their risk levels, which could affect safety. Lastly, we identified living conditions at three facilities that violate ICE standards. We recommended the Acting Director of ICE ensure the Enforcement and Removal Operations field offices overseeing the detention facilities covered in the report address identified issues and ensure facility compliance with relevant detention standards. We made one recommendation that will help ICE ensure compliance with detention standards. ICE concurred with the recommendation.
Report NumberOIG-20-45Issue DateDocument FileDHS AgencyOversight AreaKeywordsFiscal Year2020CBP Separated More Asylum-Seeking Families at Ports of Entry Than Reported and For Reasons Other Than Those Outlined in Public Statements
Executive SummaryU.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field operations (OFO) personnel at ports of entry had separated 60 asylum-seeking families between May 6 and July 9, 2018, despite CBP’s claim that it had separated only 7 such families. More than half of those separations were based solely on the asylum-seeking parents’ prior non-violent immigration violations, which appeared to be inconsistent with official DHS public messaging. After a June 27, 2018 court ruling, CBP issued specific guidance, and the ports separated fewer families in the prior months. Despite the new guidance, we continue to have concerns about DHS’ ability to accurately identify and address all family separations due to data reliability issues. In late June 2018, CBP modified its system for tracking aliens at the ports of entry to capture family separation data consistently, but it could not provide a reliable number of families separated before June 2018. We made one recommendation that will help CBP’s data collection. CBP concurred with our recommendation.
Report NumberOIG-20-35Issue DateDocument FileDHS AgencyOversight AreaFiscal Year2020U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Criminal Alien Program Faces Challenges
Executive SummaryThrough its Criminal Alien Program (CAP), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) can successfully identify aliens charged with or convicted of crimes. However, because ICE relies on cooperation from other law enforcement agencies, it sometimes faces challenges apprehending aliens in uncooperative jurisdictions. ICE’s inability to detain aliens identified through CAP contributes to increased risk those aliens will commit more crimes. Furthermore, having to arrest “at-large” aliens may put officer, detainee, and public safety at risk and strains ICE’s staffing resources. We made four recommendations to ICE focused on improving CAP. ICE concurred with all four recommendations and initiated corrective actions to address the findings.
Report NumberOIG-20-13Issue DateDocument FileDHS AgencyOversight AreaKeywordsFiscal Year2020Testimony of Assistant Inspector General for Special Reviews and Evaluations Diana R. Shaw, "Oversight of ICE Detention Facilities: Is DHS Doing Enough?"
DHS OIG written testimony of Diana Shaw who will testify before the House Homeland Security Committee, Subcommittee on Oversight, Management, and Accountability at a hearing entitled, "Oversight of ICE Detention Facilities: Is DHS Doing Enough?"
Testimony of Deputy Inspector General Jennifer L. Costello, "Unprecedented Migration at the U.S. Southern Border: What is Required to Improve Conditions?"
Testimony of Assistant Inspector General for Special Reviews and Evaluations Diana R. Shaw, "Overcrowding and Prolonged Detention at CBP Facilities"
Testimony of Acting Inspector General Jennifer L. Costello, Before the Committee on Oversight and Reform, Before the U.S. House of Representatives, "The Trump Administration’s Child Separation Policy: Substantiated Allegations of Mistreatment"