What Happened?
Federal immigration detention centers rely on themselves more when it comes to checks on the government's care standards . According to a Legis1 review of Immigration Detention: Changes In Inspections of ICE Facilities Raise Questions About Oversight, published Nov. 9, a federal watchdog found that who inspects, and how often, has shifted.
The report outlines some major changes since the Trump Administration took office including: the average daily detained population grew more than 50 percent to 61,817; ICE added over 40 facilities that hold noncitizens for more than 72 hours between April 2025 and April 2026, and three of the four DHS entities changed how often they inspected, or stopped inspecting, from fiscal year 2024 through July 2026.
Why Does it Matter to Me?
ICE inspections look for problems in medical care and food service, among other areas.
The report says ICE has not used evidence, such as data on deficiencies found in inspections and information on contract compliance, to determine how the changes affected conditions.
The report places the growth in facilities after a January 2025 executive order. It describes detention and removal of noncitizens as a cornerstone of the Trump administration's policies.
Both Sides, Now
ICE guidance states that the agency "must detain noncitizens in the most humane manner possible," and its detention standards dictate how facilities should operate. DHS concurred with both of GAO's recommendations.
Critics say reduced independent oversight and greater reliance on a facility's own inspections risk leaving unsafe conditions undetected. They point to GAO's earlier report, published May 21, 2025, which found that DHS's civil rights office found 31 of 33 inspected facilities did not comply with the standard tied to the complaint that prompted inspection. That report also said DHS's inspector general identified 155 deficiencies across 12 inspection reports from fiscal years 2022 to 2024.
Reuters reported that four immigrants died in ICE custody from Dec. 12 to 15, and that 2025 deaths reached a two-decade high. It reported June 17 that 50 people had died in immigration detention since January 2025, and that its analysis found the death rate more than doubled.
What Happens Next?
GAO made two recommendations to ICE including studying the changes that have been noted and to adjust inspections. But Congress' investigative arm says actions "have not been taken or are being planned," and it will provide updated information once it confirms what ICE has done.
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