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DHS closes office of immigration detention watchdog
The office had investigated complaints and inspected detention facilities as deaths in ICE custody topped 30 last year, according to Reuters.
- On Monday, the Department of Homeland Security began shuttering the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman after an internal email directed removal of public signage and cessation of inspections.
- The administration attributed the closure to lack of funding in the Homeland Security appropriations package that ended the agency's 76-day shutdown, though critics argue the legislation does not explicitly mandate eliminating the watchdog.
- Deaths in ICE custody exceeded 30 last year, the highest since 2004, and more than 780 instances of physical force or chemical agents against detainees occurred since Trump returned to the White House.
- Staffing at the ombudsman's office fell to just five employees earlier this year, marking a 96 percent reduction, while the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties also faced similar resource cuts.
- Adam Isaacson of the Washington Office on Latin America said the closure reflects a strategy to pressure migrants into abandoning legal cases by ensuring detention conditions are "miserable" as capacity expands to nearly 100,000 people.
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DHS Shuts Down Its Immigration Detention Watchdog
Stephen Smith/APThe Department of Homeland Security confirmed Tuesday that it has shut down an office dedicated to exposing misconduct at immigration detention facilities.A spokesperson for DHS argued that the closure was mandated by Congress in recently passed legislation to fund the department. The bill in question, however, did not mention the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman, and it remains unclear what measure the spokesperson …
Trump Administration Closes Office Investigating Detention Abuse Amid Rising Deaths in ICE Custody
A recent study found that roughly one detainee is dying every six days, a trend researchers linked to expanded detention, overcrowding, and potential delays in medical care.
·United States
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Total News Sources15
Leaning Left7Leaning Right2Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution54% Left
Bias Distribution
- 54% of the sources lean Left
54% Left
L 54%
C 31%
15%
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