Washington, Nov 6 (IANS) US immigration authorities cut detention inspections as the detained population grew by more than 50 per cent, without adequately assessing the consequences for oversight, a government watchdog reported, prompting Senator Dick Durbin to demand action.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had not established whether changes across inspection programmes collectively provided sufficient scrutiny of detention conditions.
The findings concern facilities holding noncitizens for more than 72 hours whose average daily population reached 61,817 in April 2026.
Durbin, the Senate Judiciary Committee’s ranking Democrat, criticised the changes in a statement accompanying the report’s release.
“Now that the power has shifted in Congress, the Trump Administration should take immediate steps to respond to this new alarming GAO report, which found ICE has reduced inspections without assessing the impact on detained individuals,” he said.
Durbin linked the findings to his criticism of the administration’s immigration policies following Tuesday’s midterm elections. He alleged that people in detention lacked adequate access to food, water and medical care.
Those allegations form part of his political response. GAO’s central finding was that ICE had not adequately assessed how the inspection changes affected its ability to oversee facilities.
The Department of Homeland Security agreed with GAO’s two recommendations but asked that they be closed as implemented, citing work already underway. GAO declined, saying ICE had not supplied evidence of an assessment covering the combined changes.
Durbin’s office highlighted the move away from twice-yearly inspections at larger facilities, greater reliance on self-inspections at smaller sites and advance notice of visits. It said the changes reduced accountability for ICE and its contractors as detention expanded.
ICE’s stated rationale was to reduce the burden on facilities and make it easier to secure detention space through state and local partners, according to the report.
Durbin also drew attention to the lapse of a funding restriction. Since fiscal 2019, appropriations language had barred continued funding of detention contracts after two consecutive inadequate inspection ratings. The provision was omitted from the fiscal 2026 DHS appropriations law.
GAO recommended that ICE assess the effects of inspection changes using evidence and adjust its inspections accordingly. Both recommendations remained open on Thursday.
The report provides no breakdown establishing how many Indian nationals were affected. Its population figures describe the period ending in April, rather than the number detained on the publication date.
ICE detains noncitizens pending immigration removal proceedings or the execution of removal orders. Its detention standards cover medical care, legal services and grievance procedures, among other matters. The agency uses both dedicated detention centres and facilities shared with other confined populations.
–IANS
lkj/rs