More migrants in ICE custody, fewer safety checks: US watchdog warns of oversight gaps

Two watchdog offices tasked with monitoring the treatment of detainees have scaled back their inspections, raising concerns about gaps in accountability and the risk of inhumane conditions going unchecked.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 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.Inspections nearly halved as detention numbers surgeICE's office of detention oversight (ODO) conducted 194 inspections in 2024, but the number fell to 102 in 2025. The agency's office of the immigration detention ombudsman has also stopped conducting inspections entirely since January after losing its dedicated funding in the 2026 fiscal year.The decline in oversight comes against a sharp rise in the number of people held in ICE custody. The agency detained fewer than 40,000 people at the end of former President Joe Biden's administration. The figure crossed 70,000 in February, following an immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota, and remained above 65,000 as of July.ICE has added more than 40 detention centres since Trump ordered an expansion of its detention capacity early in his second term. Many of these facilities operate out of rented spaces provided by private contractors or state and local governments.Fewer watchdogs, greater risk of unchecked abuseThe GAO warned that the reduction in inspections meant fewer independent checks on whether detention facilities were complying with ICE's own standards. The agency cautioned that the changes could make it harder to identify poor conditions and ensure detainees are treated humanely."These changes may pose risks to ICE ensuring humane detention conditions, as its own guidance calls for," the report said.ICE officials argued that some inspections were duplicative and that the agency could manage without them. However, the GAO said ICE had not provided evidence to support the claim that the inspections were unnecessary.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.