Reuters: US to close watchdog office for federal immigration detention abuses

Kevin R. Johnson

06 May 2026 — 1 min read

Deaths in immigrant detention are on the rise. Oversight seems to be needed. The Hill reports that, through March, 46 noncitizens have died in detention. However, Reuters reports that a Department of Homeland Security watchdog office for detention abuses has been closed, the Trump administration said yesterday.

The Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman, which was gutted ‌last year when Trump targeted oversight offices, is now being closed. "DHS did not shut down the Office of Immigration Detention Ombudsman - Congress did. The House passed the DHS appropriations bill without objection, and it was signed into law last week," the DHS said. According to Reuters, "[t]he bill ended a DHS shutdown did not mandate the office's closure, first reported by the HuffPost."

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