[Fascists] shuts down office that investigates abuse in [concentration camps] as use of force explodes
cross-posted from: https://infosec.pub/post/46029164
> > The Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman, an independent agency outside of the Department of Homeland Security, reviews complaints about civil rights abuses, excessive force and other allegations of misconduct involving [Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-baltimore-bridge-collapse-deport-victims-b2964635.html "Trump team looking to deport loved ones of a worker killed in Baltimore bridge disaster")
> >
> > An internal email [seen by HuffPost](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-voluntary-departure-self-deportation-cbp-home_n_6862d570e4b060bc661e0e2b) attributes the closure to a lack of funding in the Homeland Security appropriations bills that ended the partial government shutdown — even though the bill’s text does not require the office to close. The office is required by law.
> >
> > ...
> >
> > The office’s public-facing website, which instructs families and attorneys how to file complaints, is offline. A website describing the office is online only in an archived capacity that contains “outdated information that may not reflect current policy or programs.”
> >
> > The closure follows more than 780 instances of ICE officers and detention staff using physical force or chemical agents against immigrant detainees since Trump returned to the White House — a 37 percent surge from the previous year.
> >
> > The number of detainees subjected to force spiked to 1,330 people, marking a 54 percent increase from the previous year under President Joe Biden, according to the [analysis from *The Washington Post.*](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/05/04/ice-detention-centers-force/)
> >
> > ...
> >
> > Lawsuits across the country allege [brutal conditions inside ICE detention centers](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/ice-detention-chicago-lawsuit-conditions-b2857072.html), which the agency says are designed to be “non-punitive” facilities. Yet many of those facilities rely on the same tools and tactics inside prisons and jails holding people with criminal records.
> >
> > Lawsuits also alleged [unsanitary cells and inhumane treatment](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/ice-chicago-prison-judge-immigrants-b2859543.html), a lack of [access to legal counsel](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-judge-ice-whipple-building-minnesota-b2919995.html), outbreaks of [measles in at least two facilities](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/ice-detention-camp-east-montana-quarantine-measles-texas-b2932587.html "Troubled ICE detention center under quarantine after measles outbreak could be closed permanently"), and the [hospitalizations and alleged medical mistreatment of children ](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/ice-detention-center-911-calls-children-b2928990.html "Harrowing 911 calls from ICE detention center reveal children unable to breathe, suffering seizures and broken bones: report")inside a sprawling camp that is holding a growing number of immigrant families.
> > The Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman, an independent agency outside of the Department of Homeland Security, reviews complaints about civil rights abuses, excessive force and other allegations of misconduct involving [Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-baltimore-bridge-collapse-deport-victims-b2964635.html "Trump team looking to deport loved ones of a worker killed in Baltimore bridge disaster")
> >
> > An internal email [seen by HuffPost](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-voluntary-departure-self-deportation-cbp-home_n_6862d570e4b060bc661e0e2b) attributes the closure to a lack of funding in the Homeland Security appropriations bills that ended the partial government shutdown — even though the bill’s text does not require the office to close. The office is required by law.
> >
> > ...
> >
> > The office’s public-facing website, which instructs families and attorneys how to file complaints, is offline. A website describing the office is online only in an archived capacity that contains “outdated information that may not reflect current policy or programs.”
> >
> > The closure follows more than 780 instances of ICE officers and detention staff using physical force or chemical agents against immigrant detainees since Trump returned to the White House — a 37 percent surge from the previous year.
> >
> > The number of detainees subjected to force spiked to 1,330 people, marking a 54 percent increase from the previous year under President Joe Biden, according to the [analysis from *The Washington Post.*](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/05/04/ice-detention-centers-force/)
> >
> > ...
> >
> > Lawsuits across the country allege [brutal conditions inside ICE detention centers](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/ice-detention-chicago-lawsuit-conditions-b2857072.html), which the agency says are designed to be “non-punitive” facilities. Yet many of those facilities rely on the same tools and tactics inside prisons and jails holding people with criminal records.
> >
> > Lawsuits also alleged [unsanitary cells and inhumane treatment](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/ice-chicago-prison-judge-immigrants-b2859543.html), a lack of [access to legal counsel](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-judge-ice-whipple-building-minnesota-b2919995.html), outbreaks of [measles in at least two facilities](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/ice-detention-camp-east-montana-quarantine-measles-texas-b2932587.html "Troubled ICE detention center under quarantine after measles outbreak could be closed permanently"), and the [hospitalizations and alleged medical mistreatment of children ](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/ice-detention-center-911-calls-children-b2928990.html "Harrowing 911 calls from ICE detention center reveal children unable to breathe, suffering seizures and broken bones: report")inside a sprawling camp that is holding a growing number of immigrant families.