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A Closer Look at OIDO

Take a closer look at the work OIDO does and progress made to promote and support safe and humane conditions for people in DHS custody.

A Closer Look at OIDO. The OIDO is in the top center of the image. Text reads, “A Closer Look at OIDO. OIDO is an independent office within the Department of Homeland Security and is dedicated to promoting and supporting safe, humane conditions for people in DHS custody or detention. We're proud to be a credible, objective, and independent resource for everyone impacted by immigration detention.


Image of a man hugging his daughter, text to the left of the image reads, “Our mission is clear.” Below is an image of people at a detention facility with text to the left, “Conducting inspections and case management operations in ICE and CBP facilities nationwide.” The image below has a medical professional with a stethoscope on a man’s chest. Text to the right reads, “Providing recommendations for improving detention policies and practices.” Below is an image of a Hispanic man working on a laptop computer. Text to the left reads, “Hearing and addressing complaints about potential violations of detention standards or misconduct by DHS personnel.” Image below consists of people in a meeting, text to the right says, “Proposing solutions to improve conditions for immigration detainees.” Text below reads, “Every day, we help bring about positive change in America’s immigration detention system.”


Background image at the top consists of a family on the beach with text overlayed that says, “We’re here to help on a range of issues.” Text below reads, “Complaints by Category. In 2022, we fielded many complaints and requests from immigration detainees regarding health, safety, mental health, living conditions, and other issues. Below on the right is a pie chart detailing percentage of the complaint categories, with the percentages and category listed as text on the left. “46% Quality of life/living conditions/facility environment, 24% Medical/mental health issues, 11% Property, 5% Abuse and assault, 5% Other, 4% Legal access, 2% Translation and interpretation, 2% Special considerations for children and family, 1% Religious, <1% Detainee locator, <1% Disability accommodations.”
Background image at the top consists of people holding hands with text overlayed that says, “We’re a steady, persistent presence in detention facilities.” Text below reads, “Every day, OIDO works with facility staff to help address detainees’ complaints, concerns, and needs, such as: Access to legal libraries and medical personnel as needed. Improvements in food quality and access to religious accommodations. Sound quality and privacy in videoconference areas. A need for blankets, toothbrushes, fresh water, and other essentials. And more.”
Background image at the top consists of a large group of people. Overlay text says, “We’re accessible to anyone with a concern.” Text below reads, “OIDO personnel field requests from: Immigration detainees during and after their time in custody or detention, Friends, family, and community members advocating for detainees, Legal counsel and/or immigration detainees’ representatives.”
Text at the top reads, “We speak their language. OIDO can help connect detainees with translation and interpreter services for specific languages and dialects, helping detainees better understand and navigate their time in custody. Below is a circle graph depicting the number language requests for each language. Text reads, “1,273 Spanish, 232 Russian, 221 Turkish, 146 Chinese Mandarin, 118 Portuguese (Brazil), 77 Other, 69 Arabic, 56 French, 43 Somali, 33 Haitian Creole & Wolof, 29 Romanian, 22 Punjabi, 21 Tigrinya, 20 Farsi, < 20 Armenian, Bengali, Dari, Gujarati, Hindi, Lingala, Nepali, Uzbek, < 10 Albanian, Burmese, Chinese, Chinese Cantonese, Georgian, Pashto, Pulaar, Swahili, Tamil, Ukrainian, Urdu, Vietnamese, Mandinka, Marshallese, < 5 Amharic, EgBambara, Cape Verde Creole, yptian (Arabic), French Creole, Hungarian, Italian, K'iche', Korean, Krio, Kurdish, Polish, Portuguese-European, Portuguese Creole, Sarahuli, Soninke (Sarakhole), Twi, Yemeni (Arabic).”
Background image at the top consists of a physician using a stethoscope on a patient, with overlay text that says, “We’re specialists on-site.” Text below says, “OIDO professionals work toward individualized solutions, facility-level improvements, and broader systemwide change. Our experts work in a wide variety of fields, including: Medicine, Mental Health & Psychology, Social Work, Pharmacology, Detention Conditions, Environmental Health & Safety.”
Background image of location point graphics with text that reads, “We travel to facilities nationwide, providing help where needed.” Text below says, “In 2022, OIDO staff completed hundreds of facility visits across the United States, including inspections and visits with detainees. We published our inspection findings in seven reports.” Below this text is a graphic of two people high fiving each other on the left side, and text on the right reads, “We’re working toward results. As of June 2023, OIDO addressed nearly 12,000 cases brought by immigration detainees. Visit dhs.gov/OIDO to learn more.” At the bottom is the OIDO logo on the left, and text saying, “Follow us on X/Twitter: @OIDOgov on the right.”

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Last Updated: 09/25/2023
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