ICE Responds to Immigrant Detention Reports « The Washington Independent

When I posted my piece earlier this afternoon on the exploding immigrant detainee population that’s increasingly being moved to far-away prisons around the country, I had not yet heard back from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency with a response, although I’d asked for one as soon as I’d seen the relevant reports on Tuesday.

This afternoon, an ICE spokesperson sent this response by e-mail:

“ICE is in the process of fundamentally overhauling our immigration detention system to establish consistent standards across the country, prioritize risk, strengthen oversight and increase efficiency. Already we have laid the ground work by creating the Office of Detention Policy and Planning, forming two advisory groups comprised of local and national stakeholders and establishing of the Office of Detention Oversight, an independent apparatus to inspect facilities and investigate detainee grievances. We are committed to improving detainee health and safety and are developing an assessment tool to identify detainee medical issues early on and place individuals in facilities commensurate with their risk. ICE will also soon submit a plan to Congress to implement an alternatives to detention program nationwide for low-risk individuals. These steps will not only enhance accountability and safety in our system, but will also reduce detainee transfers that can separate detainees from counsel and prolong their legal proceedings.”