The Department of Homeland Security is officially closing the office responsible for investigating misconduct and abuse in the immigration detention system, according to an internal email to DHS employees obtained by HuffPost.
Office Shutdown Details
The Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman is in the process of removing all its public signage and ending its inspections, according to the email. The office’s public-facing website, which advised the families and attorneys of detainees on how to file complaints, was down as of Monday afternoon. Even basic informational webpages explaining the office’s responsibilities appeared to be taken offline.
Reason for Closure
The email attributed the closure to a lack of funding in the recent Homeland Security appropriations bill that ended the shutdown affecting the agency. DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
