DHS Inspector General Issues Report on Overcrowded Detention Facilities

New York City—In response to the release of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) report on dangerous overcrowding and prolonged detention in Rio Grande Valley Border Patrol facilities, Human Rights First’s Eleanor Acer issued the following statement:

It’s disgraceful to see more deflection, deception and dysfunction from the Trump Administration’s DHS.

Rather than taking steps to fix the inhumane conditions at its detention facilities, DHS is parroting White House talking points and blaming its inexcusable mismanagement and mistreatment of men, women, and children on false claims Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lacks detention space.

ICE does not have additional detention beds because this administration insists on holding asylum seekers and other immigrants who meet the release criteria and do not warrant continued detention. The Trump Administration’s own counterproductive policies and mismanagement are filling jails with people seeking refuge from persecution and migrants whose cases could be effectively managed through case management and strategies other than mass incarceration.

Instead of using fiscally prudent, humane, and effective alternatives, DHS offers talking points on gutting legal protections for children and asylum seekers.

The mistreatment of asylum seekers and migrants is a travesty and cannot be allowed to continue.