Inspector general tells ICE to shut down migrant detention facility immediately

A private-operated ICE migrant detention center in Torrance County, New Mexico, is operating on a skeleton staff and conditions are so “egregious” that the migrants should be immediately pulled, an inspector general said in an emergency alert Friday.

Investigators made an unannounced visit last month and photographed feces-clogged cell room toilets, moldy standing water in sinks and unmanned security control rooms. One photo showed a migrant detainee having to fill a water cup from a janitor’s mop closet faucet.

Investigators also found Torrance, operated by CoreCivic, a private prisons company, had only slightly more than half of the 245 full-time staff it is required to maintain under the contract. Of 112 vacancies at the time of investigators’ visit, 94 were security-related.

“Torrance is critically understaffed, which has prevented the facility from meeting contractual requirements that ensure detainees reside in a safe, secure and humane environment,” Homeland Security Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari said. “We recommend the immediate relocation of all detainees from the facility unless and until the facility ensures adequate staffing and appropriate living conditions.”

The report was released a day after Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas vowed not to let detainees live in “substandard conditions.”

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in its official report, denounced the investigation as unprofessional and rejected the suggestion to shutter the facility.

“In fact, we have serious concerns about the accuracy and integrity of this report,” wrote Jason Houser, acting chief of staff at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

He said investigators “falsified” evidence and ignored explanations for what they found that would have undercut the inspector general’s findings.

For example, Mr. Houser said the photo of the detainee filling his cup from the janitor’s closet was staged. He said the facility reviewed security tapes and determined the migrant never even drank water from the cup.

“The photo was knowingly given a false description,” Mr. Houser said.

As for staffing, Mr. Houser said the facility — which held 176 male detainees at the time of the inspector general’s visit — is running at less than 20% capacity, and the number of employees on board was appropriate for that level of operation. CoreCivic also went on a hiring spree, raising staffing to 83%, and has fixed all the sanitary and maintenance issues the inspection found, ICE said.

But Mr. Cuffari said ICE’s response wasn’t convincing.

He pointed to ICE’s own moves against Torrance, including a contract discrepancy report earlier this month citing “critically short staffing plans.” That report said the Torrance facility had suffered a “breakdown” in its operational capability.

Friday’s emergency alert is likely to fuel calls to end contacts with for-profit migrant detention centers.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Mr. Mayorkas was asked about private facilities like Torrance County.

“We will not tolerate the mistreatment of individuals who are in detention nor will we tolerate substandard conditions that do not meet our standards,” Mr. Mayorkas said.

He said he’d shut down two facilities last year over what he said was “mistreatment” of detainees, and he said he was prepared to move against others.

The Times has reached out to Homeland Security for comment on ICE’s handling of the Torrance County facility.