Overview
- ICE published revised National Detention Standards on June 15, 2026 that change admission, medical, discipline, records and contractor rules for immigration detention.
- The new standards state detainees are not employees and remove or limit references to a $1-per-day payment, a move that narrows contractors’ exposure in unpaid-labor lawsuits.
- The rules permit limited use of AI-driven translation and generative tools for non-critical communications while keeping human review for critical medical or legal interactions.
- Reporting and documents this week show ICE will sell or transfer seven of 11 warehouses it bought and proceed with four active conversion projects in San Antonio, Socorro, Surprise and Hagerstown.
- Journalistic investigations say private operators sought some of the changes, and the revisions will be phased into new contracts as inspector-general probes, lawsuits and robust political and community opposition continue.