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ICE Reduces Detention Facility Inspections to Annual or Biennial Schedule
Fifteen of 45 large ICE detention facilities had not been inspected in over 12 months as of late June. The agency shifted from twice-yearly inspections to annual or every-other-year reviews last year.
Jul 9, 1:59 PM·1m read1 source
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Fifteen of the 45 immigration detention facilities holding 500 or more people had not been inspected in over 12 months as of late June, while five had no inspection on record, a CBS News analysis of inspection reports found. The change follows a shift in Immigration and Customs Enforcement policy from inspecting most facilities twice a year to once a year or once every two years.
After a 2018 DHS watchdog report found inspections were not frequent enough, Congress increased funding to require twice-yearly inspections by the end of fiscal year 2021. ICE moved last year to annual inspections for dedicated facilities and biennial inspections for non-dedicated facilities such as county jails.
The agency also added biennial assisted self-inspections for non-dedicated facilities holding fewer than 50 people. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said the frequency of inspections is based on facility type, detention capacity, and operational function.
Since 2019, ICE inspections identified at least one deficiency in nearly 90 percent of inspections, ranging from missed suicide checks to improper food storage temperatures. Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia, received an acceptable rating in March 2025 despite 12 deficiencies, including two priority components on suicide prevention.
Two detainees died by suicide at the facility after that inspection, according to the county coroner. Inspectors found fewer deficiencies per inspection each year since 2019, though the number of deficiencies per inspection is trending upward this year for larger facilities.
Homeland Security also cut other oversight mechanisms last year, including the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman and the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. Anthony Enriquez, who is litigating a case against the government over the office closures, said people whose rights might previously have been protected are now vulnerable to serious medical neglect in detention.
