{"id":29168,"date":"2026-01-27T10:31:40","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T15:31:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/?post_type=press-releases&#038;p=29168"},"modified":"2026-01-27T10:31:42","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T15:31:42","slug":"new-sen-ossoff-investigation-uncovers-over-1000-credible-reports-of-human-rights-abuses-in-immigration-detention","status":"publish","type":"press-releases","link":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/press-releases\/new-sen-ossoff-investigation-uncovers-over-1000-credible-reports-of-human-rights-abuses-in-immigration-detention\/","title":{"rendered":"NEW: Sen. Ossoff Investigation Uncovers Over 1,000 Credible Reports of Human Rights Abuses in Immigration Detention"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/260114_Report_Patterns_v5.pdf\"><em>Click here<\/em><\/a><em>&nbsp;to read Sen. Ossoff\u2019s new report<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><em>Sen. Ossoff\u2019s investigation had previously uncovered reports of&nbsp;<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/immigration-detention-human-rights-abuses-report-rcna222499\"><em>abuse of pregnant women and children in immigration detention<\/em><\/a><em>&nbsp;&amp;&nbsp;<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/immigration-detention-medical-ice-food-ossoff-investigation-e218486607c04040c94561699e1d0054\"><em>medical neglect and denial of adequate food or water<\/em><\/a><em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Washington, D.C.&nbsp;<\/strong>\u2014 U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff\u2019s investigation has now&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ajc.com\/news\/2026\/01\/more-than-1000-alleged-rights-abuses-in-immigration-detention-ossoff-finds\/\">uncovered<\/a>&nbsp;over 1,000 credible reports of human rights abuses in immigration detention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Early last year, Sen. Ossoff launched an investigation into human rights abuses in U.S. immigration detention. As part of the ongoing probe, Sen. Ossoff has released two reports, which uncovered credible reports of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/immigration-detention-human-rights-abuses-report-rcna222499\">abuse of pregnant women and children in immigration detention<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;shocking reports of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/immigration-detention-medical-ice-food-ossoff-investigation-e218486607c04040c94561699e1d0054\">medical neglect and denial of adequate food or water<\/a>&nbsp;for ICE detainees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, Sen. Ossoff&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/260114_Report_Patterns_v5.pdf\">released a new report<\/a>, finding an undeniable pattern of human rights abuse in immigration detention in the first year of the Trump Administration with over 1,000 credible reports of human rights abuses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe American people demand and deserve secure borders. The American people also believe every human being should be treated with dignity and respect, and these reports of unacceptable abuse and mistreatment shock the conscience and demand accountability,\u201d&nbsp;<strong>Sen. Ossoff said.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>Credible reports of human rights\u00a0abuses\u00a0in Sen. Ossoff\u2019s report include<\/u><\/strong><strong>:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>An attorney representing a detainee who reportedly gave birth in an ICE facility reported that the detainee was separated from her breastfeeding infant for \u201cseveral months.\u201d When the detainee was released, she reportedly was unable to resume breastfeeding due to the separation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A newly postpartum detainee reported to the Senator\u2019s staff that she could not shower for weeks while in a detention facility, reportedly because the facility\u2019s guards required her to hold her baby at all times.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A detainee at an ICE facility drank tap water that was reportedly contaminated with high levels of chlorine, which reportedly caused an allergic reaction and severe burns to their throat and nasal passages. The detainee was reportedly denied medical help for over seven hours and reportedly lost consciousness before being transferred to a medical clinic.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Multiple detainees reported that DHS officials threatened to take their children away if they did not sign a voluntary departure form.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The vast majority of the 1,037 credible reports of human rights abuses received or identified by the Senator\u2019s staff originated from facilities in Texas (179 credible reports), Florida (168 credible reports), California (146 credible reports), and Georgia (137 credible reports).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sen. Ossoff continues working to strengthen Congressional oversight and investigate abuses in U.S. detention centers, prisons, and jails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This fall,&nbsp;Sen. Ossoff led Senate colleagues in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/press-releases\/sen-ossoff-colleagues-launch-inquiry-into-dhs-obstruction-of-congressional-oversight\/\">launching an inquiry<\/a>&nbsp;with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) pressing the administration for answers about obstruction of Congressional access to detention facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2024, Sen. Ossoff&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/press-releases\/sen-ossoff-presses-biden-administration-to-address-lack-of-child-welfare-professionals-at-southern-border\/\">launched an inquiry<\/a>&nbsp;with U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) into delays deploying licensed child welfare professionals to assist children who are temporarily in U.S. Southern Border facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2022, Sen. Ossoff led an&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/press-releases\/watch-psi-chairman-ossoff-unveils-results-of-18-month-bipartisan-investigation-into-medical-mistreatment-of-women-in-u-s-detention\/\">18-month bipartisan investigation<\/a>&nbsp;into medical mistreatment of women in U.S. detention, which uncovered that female detainees at the now-reopened Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia were subjected to \u201cinvasive, and often unnecessary gynecological procedures.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also in 2022, Sens. Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.warnock.senate.gov\/newsroom\/press-releases\/senators-reverend-warnock-ossoff-press-homeland-security-secretary-mayorkas-for-answers-on-reported-abuse-of-migrant-women-human-rights-violations-at-georgia-ice-facility\/\">pressed the Biden Administration<\/a>&nbsp;for answers about allegations of sexual assault against women at the ICE Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/260114_Report_Patterns_v5.pdf\">Click here<\/a>&nbsp;to read Sen. Ossoff\u2019s new report: Over 1,000 Credible Reports of Human Rights Abuses in U.S. Immigration Detention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"># # #<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Click here&nbsp;to read Sen. Ossoff\u2019s new report Sen. Ossoff\u2019s investigation had previously uncovered reports of&nbsp;abuse of pregnant women and children in immigration detention&nbsp;&amp;&nbsp;medical neglect and denial of adequate food or water Washington, D.C.&nbsp;\u2014 U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff\u2019s investigation has now&nbsp;uncovered&nbsp;over 1,000 credible reports of human rights abuses in immigration detention. Early last year, Sen. Ossoff [&hellip;]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29168","press-releases","type-press-releases","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases\/29168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press-releases"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/74"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases\/29168\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29169,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases\/29168\/revisions\/29169"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}