Congress Defunds Immigration Detention Ombudsman Office in Latest DHS Appropriations Bill

The Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman has been shut down, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed. The independent office within the Department of Homeland Security investigated misconduct and handled complaints regarding safety, medical care, and legal access in immigration detention.

DHS stated on May 6, 2026 that it did not shut down the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman and that Congress did.

The appropriations bill passed in the week prior to May 6, 2026 funds most of DHS.

Republican lawmakers are attempting to provide three years of funding for ICE and parts of CBP through budget reconciliation, which would allow Republicans to pass the funding without Democratic support. Most employees of the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman were placed on leave in 2025.

The Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman was established in 2019 to provide independent oversight of immigration detention facilities and recommend improvements, according to advocates.

As of the week prior to May 6, 2026, 49 people have died in ICE detention during the second Trump administration. The federal immigration detention population currently stands at around 60,000. Outgoing Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons appeared before a House subcommittee hearing in April 2026 and stated that the number of deaths is high because ICE has the highest amount in detention since its inception in 2003.

The non-profit organization is suing the federal government over its intent to close three oversight offices within DHS, including the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman. Anthony Enriquez is an attorney with the Robert and Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center. Anthony Enriquez stated that the closure of the office is an unlawful choice by the federal government.

"Congress passed no statute that says we are repealing the office of the immigration detention ombudsman," Enriquez said. " Enriquez added that if there is no longer anybody that is watchdogging these agencies in order to ensure that these types of abuses aren't occurring, more of these abuses will occur.

@ABC reported that the closure comes amid concerns from lawmakers and immigrant advocates about conditions in detention facilities.

The rise in fatalities coincides with the record-high detention population. A DHS spokesperson did not respond to questions regarding why the independent watchdog office is not being funded through the legislation or whether the office will be reinstated if Republicans successfully fund ICE through their reconciliation package.