(a)Within the Department, there shall be a position of Immigration Detention Ombudsman (in this section referred to as the “Ombudsman”). The Ombudsman shall be independent of Department agencies and officers and shall report directly to the Secretary. The Ombudsman shall be a senior official with a background in civil rights enforcement, civil detention care and custody, and immigration law.
(b)The functions of the Ombudsman shall be to—
(1)Establish and administer an independent, neutral, and confidential process to receive, investigate, resolve, and provide redress, including referral for investigation to the Office of the Inspector General, referral to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for immigration relief, or any other action determined appropriate, for cases in which Department officers or other personnel, or contracted, subcontracted, or cooperating entity personnel, are found to have engaged in misconduct or violated the rights of individuals in immigration detention;
(2)Establish an accessible and standardized process regarding complaints against any officer or employee of U.S. Customs and Border Protection or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or any contracted, subcontracted, or cooperating entity personnel, for violations of law, standards of professional conduct, contract terms, or policy related to immigration detention;
(3)Conduct unannounced inspections of detention facilities holding individuals in federal immigration custody, including those owned or operated by units of State or local government and privately-owned or operated facilities;
(4)Review, examine, and make recommendations to address concerns or violations of contract terms identified in reviews, audits, investigations, or detainee interviews regarding immigration detention facilities and services;
(5)Provide assistance to individuals affected by potential misconduct, excessive force, or violations of law or detention standards by Department of Homeland Security officers or other personnel, or contracted, subcontracted, or cooperating entity personnel; and
(6)Ensure that the functions performed by the Ombudsman are complementary to existing functions within the Department of Homeland Security.
(c)The Ombudsman or designated personnel of the Ombudsman, shall be provided unfettered access to any location within each such detention facility and shall be permitted confidential access to any detainee at the detainee’s request and any departmental records concerning such detainee.
(d)(1)The Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection shall each establish procedures to provide formal responses to recommendations submitted to such officials by the Ombudsman within 60 days of receiving such recommendations.
(2)The Secretary shall establish procedures to provide the Ombudsman access to all departmental records necessary to execute the responsibilities of the Ombudsman under subsection (b) or (c) not later than 60 days after a request from the Ombudsman for such information.
(e)The Ombudsman shall prepare a report to Congress on an annual basis on its activities, findings, and recommendations.
