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3mo ago

DHS Closes Immigration Detention Watchdog, Citing Spending Law

DHS blames a new funding law despite no mandate in the bill text.

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A view of the sign in front of US Homeland Security Department on Nebraska Avenue in Washington, D.C., U.S. February 15, 2026. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno/File Photo
A sign marks the entrance to a series of hardened tents at the Camp East Montana immigrant detention center at a U.S. Army base on the outskirts of El Paso on Feb. 13, 2026.

Overview

  • Homeland Security, which confirmed the move Tuesday, shut the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman and archived its website as staff ended inspections and pulled public signage.
  • The department says Congress forced the closure through the new DHS spending law, yet reporters who reviewed the text say it does not mention or require eliminating the office.
  • Created by Congress in 2019 and launched in 2021, the office handled complaints and inspections for ICE and CBP facilities, and its workforce had been cut about 96% to roughly five people by December.
  • The shutdown lands as ICE reports record detention levels near 73,000, a surge in use-of-force incidents, and a two-decade high in deaths, including about 30 in 2025 and at least 18 so far this year.
  • Advocates say closing a congressionally created watchdog could face legal challenges and leaves detainees with fewer ways to report abuse as ICE pushes to expand bed space toward about 99,000.