ACLU Response to Office of Inspector General Report on ICE Detention Inspections
WASHINGTON — A report released by the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security today shows the inspections and monitoring of detention facilities conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement are, in effect, a charade. The report shows that ICE fails to ensure compliance with basic detention standards in its 211 detention facilities, which include private prisons and county jails. Moreover, when violations are found, there is little to no accountability. This news comes on the heels of DHS’s plans to jail tens of thousands of additional immigrants, including children and their parents, on military bases.
Madhuri Grewal, federal immigration policy counsel with the American Civil Liberties Union, had the following response:
“This report is a damning indictment of ICE. The independent DHS inspector general has exposed how ineffectual ICE inspections are, and how delinquent the agency is in addressing serious violations. In some cases, inspectors have outright lied — and were caught by the inspector general during the course of its investigation.
“It has been clear for decades — after a constant stream of reports by independent government agencies and NGOs — that ICE is a rogue agency with little to no oversight or accountability. We are nearing 200 deaths in ICE detention. It is time to demand that Congress stop funding ICE’s jailing of immigrants and reject the Trump administration’s attempts to build massive family prison camps.”
Stay Informed
Every month, you'll receive regular roundups of the most important civil rights and civil liberties developments. Remember: a well-informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.
By completing this form, I agree to receive occasional emails per the terms of the ACLU’s privacy policy.
The Latest in Immigrants' Rights
-
Broken Promises: Trump-era Travel Bans Keep Thousands Trapped in Limbo
-
Immigrants’ Rights Organizations Reach Settlement in Case Brought to Protect Medically Vulnerable People Detained by ICE
-
Voting and Immigrants’ Rights Advocates Sue Over New Florida Law That Targets Voter Registration, Civic Engagement, and Political Speech
-
Shen v. Simpson
ACLU's Vision
The American Civil Liberties Union is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America.
Learn More About Immigrants' Rights

The fundamental constitutional protections of due process and equal protection embodied in our Constitution and Bill of Rights apply to every person, regardless of immigration status.