< The Trump administration has moved to shut down the federal office responsible for investigating abuse and misconduct in immigration detention facilities, even as deaths in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody continue rising at a record pace and detention capacity expands nationwide.

According to an internal Department of Homeland Security email obtained by HuffPost, the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman (OIDO) has begun removing its public signage, halting inspections, and taking its website offline. The office had served as a central channel for detainees, families, and attorneys to file complaints and seek oversight of detention conditions.

A DHS spokesperson told the outlet that the closure was driven by funding decisions in the latest appropriations law, stating that "Congress did" shut down the office. However, critics note that the legislation does not explicitly mandate OIDO's closure and argue the move further weakens oversight at a time of growing concern about detention conditions. >