U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) oversees the civil immigration detention of one of the most highly transient and diverse populations of any detention system in the world.

As part of its critical mission, ICE ERO ensures that each of its detention facilities adhere to the national detention standards that govern facility operations and protect the health, safety and well-being of all aliens in its custody.

Regardless of whether detention facilities are owned and operated by ICE, a state or local entity, or a contractor, each detention facility operates under one of several sets of ICE national detention standards which describe a facility’s immigration detention responsibilities, explain what detainee services a facility must provide, and identify what a facility must do to ensure a safe and secure detention environment for staff and aliens in detention:

• National Detention Standards (NDS) 2000
• Performance-Based National Detention Standards (PBNDS) 2008
• PBNDS 2011
• NDS 2019

ICE ERO Involvement in Facility Inspections

To ensure compliance with each contract’s terms and conditions and the applicable detention standards, ICE and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employ a robust and multilevel oversight and compliance program. At the agency level, ICE ERO Detention Service Managers (DSMs) and Detention Standards Compliance Officers (DSCOs) monitor detention conditions through daily on-site compliance reviews to identify deficiencies, areas of concern, contract and facility issues, and to facilitate corrective actions.

These reviews allow ICE another layer of oversight by providing senior leadership a unique tool to quickly identify and address issues that occur between or are not identified during annual inspections.

ICE and DHS Involvement in Facility Inspections

ICE and DHS provide oversight to ICE ERO detention facility inspections. Inspections and audits are conducted by the DHS Office of the Inspector General, the DHS Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman, and the ICE Office of Detention Oversight within ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility.

In addition, the DHS Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties conducts on-site investigations to address allegations made by detained aliens and other stakeholders. These multiple channels of oversight allow ICE to provide a high standard of care for the detained population.

Detention facilities are subject to regular inspections by ICE ERO’s third-party inspection contractor. In May 2018, ICE began posting all facility inspection reports submitted by the third-party contractor. The reports are posted below in chronological order within 60 days of inspection.