Average daily number of people in immigration detention has increased by more than 50% under President Donald Trump
The findings come as the average daily number of people in immigration detention has increased by more than 50% under President Donald Trump, with ICE opening more than 40 additional detention facilities as part of its expansion drive. The agency detained fewer than 40,000 people at the end of former President Joe Biden’s administration.
“These changes may pose risks to ICE ensuring humane detention conditions, as its own guidance calls for,” the report said. However, the GAO said ICE had not provided evidence to support the claim that the inspections were unnecessary. A new report by the government accountability office (GAO), Congress’ investigative watchdog, has warned that fewer inspections could undermine efforts to ensure the safety and humane treatment of people held by US immigration and customs enforcement (ICE). The decline in oversight comes against a sharp rise in the number of people held in ICE custody. ICE officials argued that some inspections were duplicative and that the agency could manage without them.