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Original Date Announced
February 5, 2026The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) announced that it is conducting eight internal oversight investigations into different aspects of DHS's operations.
The investigations cover: (1) ICE's hiring and training, (2) ICE's 287(g) program for collaboration with state and local law enforcement agencies, (3) ICE's use of expedited removal authority, (4) CBP's interior immigration enforcement, (5) ICE's processes for investigating allegations of excessive force, (6) DHS's processes for preventing the arrest of U.S. citizens during immigration-enforcement operations, (7) unannounced inspections of ICE detention facilities, and (8) DHS's management of biometrics and personally identifiable information.
The announcement does not provide a timeline for completion, but states "these reviews are being conducted as expeditiously as possible while ensuring we apply rigor and uphold our professional standards." If the investigations reveal matters that "warrant immediate attention and action," OIG will inform DHS and Congress before issuing findings.
Trump 2.0 [ID #2198]
2026.02.05 DHS OIG: Oversight Reviews of DHS Immigration Enforcement Programs and OperationsSubsequent Trump and Court Action
February 6, 20262026.02.10 Reported: DHS demanded list of ongoing investigations from its watchdog - The Hill
The Hill reports that "Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has requested a list of all ongoing investigations by [OIG]": "The letter from Department of Homeland Security (DHS) general counsel James Percival comes after [Sen. Tammy] Duckworth said DHS’s Office of Inspector General had received 'repeated tacit threats'" in the form of reminders of the Secretary's authority to cancel OIG investigations for national security or public interest. According to Percival, "neither he nor Noem sought to halt any investigations" and he "requested on her behalf a list of all investigations to ensure she can evaluate whether it might ever be appropriate to exercise that power."
View DocumentSubsequent Trump and Court Action
April 10, 20262026.04.10 Reported: DHS watchdog paused some probes of immigration enforcement amid shutdown - NBC News
NBC News reports that DHS's Office of Inspector General (OIG) has paused approximately 85% of its audits and reviews due to a lack of funding during a partial government shutdown. The suspension of oversight activities affects reviews of ICE detention facilities, instances of possible excessive force in immigration enforcement, and ICE’s progress in monitoring the safety of unaccompanied immigrant children. The OIG has also halted audits of DHS contracting processes—including no-bid contracts. Despite the funding lapse, investigators working on criminal probes, including an inquiry into a $220 million DHS advertising campaign, remain on duty without pay.
View DocumentCurrent Status
NoneOriginal Trump Policy Status
Status: Final/ActualTrump Administration Action: Agency DirectiveSubject Matter: Interior EnforcementAssociated or Derivative Policies
- September 11, 2020 DHS proposes rule to expand biometric data collection
- January 20, 2025 EO 14165 § 2(f) promotes Federal-State partnerships to enforce federal immigration priorities
- January 20, 2025 EO 14159 § 10 directs DHS to use all legally available resources to increase detention capacity
- January 21, 2025 DHS expands expedited removal to the maximum extent authorized by statute
- January 26, 2025 Reported: Trump administration officials direct ICE to increase arrests to meet daily quotas
- February 1, 2025 ICE issues guidance for lawmakers visiting ICE facilities
- July 31, 2025 Uses of force increase during immigration-enforcement actions
Documents
Trump-Era Policy Documents
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Commentary
2026.02.05 Letter from Sen. Tammy Duckworth to Secretary Kristi Noem re: DHS OIG investigations
Senator Tammy Duckworth released a letter to DHS Secretary Noem accusing her of "intimidating Inspector General [Joseph] Cuffari from performing independent investigations into Border Patrol agent use of force incidents." Duckworth wrote that IG Cuffari informed her in a meeting that DHS General Counsel James Percival had "reminded" DHS OIG, repeatedly and unprompted, of Secretary Noem's authority to prohibit OIG investigations for national security or the public interest under 5 U.S.C. § 417, which no DHS Secretary has ever invoked. Duckworth suggested that these communications from Percival explained OIG's "odd inaction" in refusing to engage in "proactive investigations of all use of force incidents related to the Trump administration's aggressive and violent mass deportation operations."
Go to articleLetter From Members of Congress to DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari
41 congressional Democrats sent DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari a letter requesting that he expedite existing audits of ICE and CBP’s use of force. They also requested that the Office of Inspector General (OIG) expand its reviews to include additional questions on the use of force, warrants, detentions and arrests of citizens, recruiting, vetting, and training of ICE and CBP officers, investigation processes, and responses to misconduct.
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