DHS Quietly Shuts Down Immigration Detention Watchdog Amid Record Detentions and Deaths

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed this week that it has closed the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman, the sole federal office tasked with investigating and exposing abuses inside immigration detention facilities. The closure effectively eliminates a crucial avenue for detained immigrants and advocates to report rights violations and hold the system accountable.

A DHS spokesperson claimed the shutdown was required by a recent congressional funding bill, but the legislation in question makes no mention of the office or its closure. “DHS did not shutdown the Office of Immigration Detention Ombudsman—Congress did,” the spokesperson told NOTUS, citing the House’s passage of the appropriations bill. However, the bill simply funded various DHS components without addressing this watchdog’s fate, leaving the department’s justification vague and unsubstantiated.

The office’s website has been archived, public signage removed, and inspections halted, according to an internal DHS email obtained by HuffPost. This dismantling comes at a time when oversight of immigration detention centers is desperately needed. Detention populations have surged to a record 73,000 as of mid-January, and since the start of President Trump’s second term, 49 detainees have died in custody, with the most recent death reported on April 1.

The closure also coincides with ongoing legal battles over detainees’ rights. Last week, NOTUS reported on a class-action lawsuit filed by detained immigrants challenging a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services policy that bars them from biometric data collection—fingerprints and photos essential for visa and deportation protection applications. This policy traps detainees in a catch-22, blocking their ability to gain legal status.

The shuttering of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman signals a disturbing retreat from transparency and accountability in a system already rife with abuses. As the Trump administration expands detention and tightens restrictions on immigrants’ rights, removing independent oversight only deepens the crisis. Without this watchdog, abuses are more likely to go unchecked, and detainees will have fewer means to fight back against inhumane conditions and systemic neglect.

We will keep tracking this story and demand answers from DHS and Congress on why this critical office was allowed to disappear under their watch. The rights and lives of thousands of detained immigrants depend on it.