DHS Calls for Detainees' Immediate Removal From New Mexico ICE Facility

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) inspector general on Friday called for the "immediate removal" of all detainees from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in New Mexico, citing "safety risks and unsanitary living conditions."

Inspector General Joseph Cuffari issued a management alert for the Torrance County Detention Facility in Estancia, New Mexico, directing ICE to address "critical staffing shortages" and "egregious conditions."

CNN reports that this is the first time the DHS inspector general has called for the immediate removal of detainees from an ICE facility.

Cuffari's report said the detainees must be relocated until the Torrance County facility can ensure "adequate staffing and appropriate living conditions."

Between Feb. 1 and 3, the inspector general's office conduced an unannounced inspection and found that the Torrance County facility had 133 employees, when it was supposed to have 245.

DHS also found that 53% of detainee cells had sinks and toilets that were "non-functioning" or "clogged."

Report pictures showed a "non-functioning, moldy sink" and "clogged toilet full of human waste."

There were also "security lapses" in the facility, with the report finding that "Torrance officers did not properly supervise and monitor detainees in the housing units" due to "poor sight lines" and "blind spots" in certain locations.

ICE disagreed with the inspector general's findings, and leadership said the recommendation to remove detainees is unwarranted.

"ICE is fiercely committed to ensuring that noncitizens in its custody reside in safe, secure, and humane environments," ICE Acting Chief of Staff Jason Houser said in a memo to the inspector general, obtained by CNN. "While ICE leadership continues to work on improving conditions at the [facility] in Estancia, New Mexico, we do not agree with the OIG's [office of inspector general's] overall conclusion that it does not provide a safe, secure, and humane environment."

According to CNN, Houser said ICE has "serious concerns about the accuracy and integrity of this report" and whether the report met standards for inspection and evaluation, saying it "appears the inspector general falsified or mischaracterized evidence and ignored facts."

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