By The Opinion
The Office of the Immigrant Detention Ombudsman (OIDO) has been closed, eliminating an independent mechanism for migrants to report misconduct, excessive use of force and violations of your rights in the centers of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Attachment Service (ICE) and the Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
And according to an email addressed to his non-public and obtained by HuffPost, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the closure of the office in charge of supervising irregularities and abuses in migrant detention centers.
A spokesperson for DHS indicated that the decision corresponds to United States Congresswhich approved the appropriations bill for the agency without objection.
The budget guarantees resources for the Transportation Security Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Coast Guard and Secret Servicebut did not include direct obligations on the OIDO.
Operated with minimal resources
The office’s website is no longer available, preventing families and attorneys from filing complaints or following up on reports. Before the closure, the office operated with minimal resources and had only five employees, a 96% reduction from its non-public standard.
Since Donald Trump returned to the White House, more than 780 cases of use of physical or chemical force against migrantsan increase of 37% compared to the previous year. More than 30 people died in ICE custody in 2025, the deadliest year in more than two decades. So far in 2026, at least 18 migrants have lost their lives, reports highlight.
Currently, almost 70,000 people remain constantly detained in ICE centers, while previous administrations funded capacity for approximately half. Between January 2025 and today, 2.2 million self-deportations and more than 675,000 deportationsaccording to official figures.
DHS plans to maintain Ninety nine,000 detainees daily between 2026 and 2027as part of its goal of arresting and deporting one million people a year.
Keep reading:
- ICE and CBP, at a low level, continue to do harm
- “Massive deportations of immigrants are coming,” anticipates Tom Homan, border czar
- Republicans want to approve $72 billion more for ICE and CBP without a Democratic vote
- Young man from Los Angeles faces challenges after delays in DACA renewal
