Immigrants detained at large centers used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in California, Georgia, New Jersey and New Mexico are subject to inhumane treatment, given insufficient hygiene supplies and medical care, and provided potentially unsafe food, says a Department of Homeland Security Inspector General’s report, according to NPR. The findings are similar to those of outside groups that have alleged ‘extensive’ human rights abuses at ICE detention centers.
The inspector general’s report comes as the Trump administration is asking Congress for funding to expand the immigration detention system. ICE says some of its existing facilities are short-staffed. The agency’s acting director agreed to the report’s recommendations. The study was based on inspections of five detention facilities, four of which failed to meet certain federal standards, although not every problem was present in all of them. The report said some detainees were housed incorrectly based on their criminal history. In violation of standards, all detainees entering one facility were strip searched. The report said that, “Staff did not always treat detainees respectfully and professionally, and some facilities may have misused segregation. Finally, we observed potentially unsafe and unhealthy detention conditions.” Critics of President Trump’s immigration policies say the conditions predate his administration.