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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is housed within DHS and is divided into two divisions: Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) (HSI) and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). ERO oversees detainment and deportation. From administration to administration, ICE has been fraught with reports of abuse. An investigative report on ICE by USA Today “revealed more than 400 allegations of sexual assault or abuse, inadequate medical care, regular hunger strikes, frequent use of solitary confinement, more than 800 instances of physical force against detainees, nearly 20,000 grievances filed by detainees, and at least 29 fatalities, including seven suicides” from 2017 to 2019. The report also analyzed ICE inspection reports between 2015 and 2019 and identified 15,821 violations of detention standards. During this time, over 90 percent of the same facilities received passing grades in inspections. Immigration advocates have rightfully called for the abolishment of this office in recent years, as these flagrant—and unchecked—violations persist.