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Congress Defunds Immigration Detention Ombudsman Office in Latest DHS Appropriations Bill
The independent office within the Department of Homeland Security that investigated misconduct and handled complaints about safety, medical care and legal access in immigration detention has been closed. DHS attributed the shutdown to a congressional appropriations bill signed into law last week that excluded funding for the office.
May 9, 6:58 PM·2m read2 sources
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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.
