WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) is requesting an independent investigation into whether U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and its federal contractors are systemically violating the agency’s policy prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities. Duckworth’s request follows a report that exposed how ICE agents and personnel at a Texas detention center operated by a federal contractor deprived a man of his prosthetic limbs for approximately five months in direct violation of U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Performance-Based National Detention Standards and potentially, federal law.
“It is not enough to have good laws in place, effective regulations on the books and high standards if such requirements are regularly violated with impunity,” Senator Duckworth wrote in a letter to DHS Acting Inspector General John V. Kelly. “It is particularly unacceptable when such abuse comes at the expense of the health and dignity of individuals who are in the custody of the United States Government.”
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Duckworth also called for an investigation into whether the federal contractor operating the detention facility in the report had violated its contract terms with the government. If officials uncover any evidence of systemic violations of policy, Duckworth asked the Inspector General to expand the investigation to include other facilities housing ICE detainees with disabilities.
Senator Duckworth has been a strong proponent for ensuring asylum-seekers are treated humanely while detained. She was a vocal critic of the Trump Administration’s inhumane policy of separating families at the border and joined her colleagues in introducing legislation to end it. Duckworth also helped introduce the Reunite Every Unaccompanied Newborn Infant, Toddler and Other Children Expeditiously (REUNITE) Act, legislation that would reunify and protect immigrant families separated at the border. Shortly after, Duckworth joined Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and 20 of their colleagues in introducing the Stop Shackling and Detaining Pregnant Women Act to establish new standards of care by prohibiting DHS from shackling pregnant women in its custody.
A copy of the letter is available online here.
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