DHS Inspector General Report Finds Lack of Approval and Documentation for Surgeries at ICE Facilities

The report, which followed a 2022 Senate investigation, found that one-third of major surgeries, including hysterectomies, were not properly reviewed or approved, raising concerns about medical necessity and patient consent.

• About one-third of major surgeries performed at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities between 2019 and 2021 were not properly reviewed or approved, according to a report by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General.
• The report found that in two of six examined hysterectomies performed on asylum-seekers, there was no documentation to support a conclusion that the procedure was medically necessary.
• The report was released following a Senate investigation in 2022 that found U.S. immigration authorities didn’t properly vet or monitor a gynecologist who performed unnecessary medical procedures on detained migrant women without their consent.
• The Office of the Inspector General recommended that physician directors tasked with approving surgeries be required to document their review and approval in ICE’s electronic health records system.
• ICE officials agreed to the recommendation and the report will be sent to congressional oversight and appropriations committees that oversee Homeland Security and medical issues.

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