Booker, Kim Introduce Legislation to Strengthen Oversight of Immigration Detention Facilities and Hold Private Contractors Accountable

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Andy Kim (D-NJ) introduced legislation to strengthen oversight of the federal immigration detention system by designating ICE funds for reopening the independent Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman (OIDO) within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The bill would also pause DHS payments to detention contractors and subcontractors that the OIDO finds have violated federal law or detention standards until they have implemented recommendations from the OIDO.

Congress created the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman in 2019 to investigate detainee deaths in custody, access to medical care, and employee misconduct in ICE facilities to address the record of systemic abuse during the first Trump administration. On March 21, 2025, DHS began to place staff from the OIDO on administrative leave, shutting the Office entirely by May 5, 2026. This dismantling of oversight and accountability came at the same time that DHS surged its immigration detention operations. At least 56 people have died in ICE custody during President Trump's second term, and more than 70 percent of people detained by ICE have never been convicted of a criminal offense.

"The federal government has a responsibility to ensure that anyone in its custody is treated with dignity and humanity. Yet, for too long, private detention contractors have operated with too little accountability and too little oversight. When facilities violate standards, use excessive force, or fail to provide humane conditions, there must be real consequences. This legislation ensures independent oversight and ends the practice of using taxpayer dollars to reward contractors who fail to meet the most basic standards of humane treatment," said Senator Booker.

This legislation would amend the so-called Secure America Act to reduce funding by approximately $114.6 million, from $2.5 billion to $2.385 billion, and provide $28.641 million annually from fiscal years 2026 through 2029 to reestablish the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman within DHS. The Ombudsman would review complaints, investigate misconduct, and recommend improvements to detention conditions. The bill would also prohibit DHS from using these funds to pay contractors found by the Ombudsman to have engaged in misconduct, excessive force, or violations of federal law or detention standards until they implement corrective actions.

Read the full text of the legislation here.

SEE ALSO:

• Booker, Kim Seek Unanimous Consent to Pass Bill Requiring Closure of Delaney Hall ICE Detention Facility
• Booker, Espaillat Announce Governors' Right to Inspect Act to Crack Down on Abuses in Immigration Detention Facilities
• Booker Introduces Amendment to Restore Immigration Detention Oversight and Hold Private Contractors Accountable
• Booker Demands DHS Shut Down Delaney Hall Following Second Congressional Oversight Visit This Year
• Booker Announces Legislation Cracking Down on ICE Detention Facilities & Practices Following Tour of Delaney Hall
• ICYMI: In New Op-Ed, Booker Highlights Call for ICE Accountability, Stands with Roxbury & NJ Communities Opposing ICE Detention Centers
• Booker Calls for Shutdown of Delaney Hall ICE Facility and Statement on Death of Detainee at Delaney Hall
• Booker Condemns GEO Group, DHS Mismanagement of Delaney Hall ICE Detention Facility
• Booker Urges DHS, ICE to Reject New Contract with GEO Group for Immigration Detention Facility in Newark, New Jersey