ICE says relaxed detention standards ‘reduce the burden’ on contractors running its lockups

Contractors running Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities can rely more heavily on artificial intelligence tools to communicate with detainees while continuing to pay people they hold $1 per day for “voluntary work,” under relaxed detention standards released Monday

Contractors running Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities can rely more heavily on artificial intelligence tools to communicate with detainees while continuing to pay people they hold $1 per day for “voluntary work,” under relaxed detention standards released Monday.

Subscribe to read this story ad-free

Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.

ICE said the standards, which apply to for-profit contractors and jails that hold detainees, were revised with input from partners to “reduce the burden on our detention operators.” Experts said the changes would help contractors limit legal liability, reduce costs and get more operational flexibility while doing little, if anything, to improve conditions for roughly 60,000 people currently detained.

“100% it’s going to result in deterioration of already problematic conditions of detention,” said Michelle Brane, a former Department of Homeland Security ombudsman who oversaw immigration detention practices during part of the Biden administration. “It’s consistent with their general practice, which is to eliminate accountability and oversight. They are not concerned with people’s basic rights or safety of detainees.”