Detention Management Program

The endgame of immigration enforcement is the removal of illegal aliens from the United States. Funding for detention capacity and staff to manage the adjudication and removal processes are absolutely essential to accomplish this ultimate goal.

Due to the nature of its mission, the immigration detention program maintains custody of one of the most highly transient and diverse populations of any correctional or detention system in the world. This administrative custody environment presents significant management challenges compared to the typical static prison environment. These challenges are compounded by the diverse population (individuals representing virtually every country of the world; every security classification; males, females, families of every age group; medical conditions ranging from healthy to terminally ill, etc.) in immigration detention custody every day.

The current ICE detention system consists of over 400 local and state facilities acquired through intergovernmental service agreements (IGSA); seven contract detention facilities; eight ICE owned facilities and five Bureau of Prisons (BOP) facilities, which are either funded directly through congressional appropriations to BOP or through ICE reimbursement.

Approximately 52 percent of the ICE population is designated to IGSA, 19 percent in contract facilities, 18 percent in ICE-owned facilities and 11 percent in BOP facilities. Currently, the ICE detention program has a funded capacity of approximately 20,375 beds.

ICE, through an aggressive inspections program, ensures facilities utilized by ICE to detain aliens in immigration proceedings do so in accordance with ICE National Detention Standards. The DSC provides ICE and the public the assurance that detainees in ICE custody, the vast majority of which are criminal aliens, are detained in safe and secure environments and under appropriate conditions of confinement.

The ICE National Detention Standards, promulgated in November 2000, are the result of negotiations between the American Bar Association (ABA), the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the legacy Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), and other organizations involved in pro bono representation and advocacy for immigration detainees. The 38 standards are comprehensive, encompassing areas from legal access to religious and medical services and marriage requests. The legal access standards concern visitation, access to legal materials, telephone access and group presentations on legal rights.

The standards further the goals of ICE to provide safe, secure and humane conditions for all detainees in ICE custody. ICE is committed to ensuring that its detention standards are met by all facilities utilized for detention. The Detention Standards Compliance Unit conducts over 350 annual inspections of authorized detention facilities to measure compliance with the ICE National Detention Standards.

The Division of Immigration Health Services Unit (DIHS), a component of the Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), serves as the health authority for ICE through an interagency agreement with HRSA. The DIHS provides direct patient care at 15 detention locations and oversees managed care services for detainees housed at 250 jails, state agencies, and contract detention facilities nationwide. In addition, the DIHS provides infectious disease control, medical consultation and guidance, foreign health care, foreign and domestic medical escorts, facility health assessments and reviews, post-release medical placements, year-round support to the U.S. Coast Guard and 24-hour deployment to any location in the world.

The DIHS medical program is overseen by the Detention Health Liaison Officer (DHLO), who serves as the point of contact to HHS, DHS, ICE, and state and local health authorities on issues related to medical standards and detainee health care. The DHLO is responsible for formulating and implementing policies and procedures for managing the day-to-day operations of detention health services, and for resolving congressional issues, detainee complaints, allegations of medical negligence and other health concerns that rise to the headquarters level.

DRO Detention Manual

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility employees and illegal immigrant detainees will find information on detainee services and security and control procedures in the Detention Operations Manual. Information includes everything from access to legal material and funds and personal property to disciplinary policy and security inspections. Read More