ABA 's Summary of ICE Detention Standards in English and Spanish
by The American Bar Association Commission on Immigration
October 04, 2007
In November 2000, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE; formerly the Immigration and Naturalization Service or INS) issued detailed detention standards to ensure consistent treatment and care
for detainees in immigration custody. The ICE Detention Standards took effect at 28 facilities in January 2001, including 18 ICE–owned and operated Service Processing Centers (SPCs) and contract detention
facilities (CDFs) and 10 county jails. The ICE Detention Standards have since been implemented at almost all facilities holding ICE detainees, which include those county and local jails with an
Intergovernmental Service Agreement (IGSA) with ICE, with the exception of facilities operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The ICE Detention Standards are not codified, and thus their violation does not confer a cause of action in court.
There are a total of 38 ICE Detention Standards that cover a broad range of issues. The following information is a summary of fundamental provisions. The summary is provided as a public service by the
American Bar Association's Commission on Immigration. The ABA Commission on Immigration assumes no responsibility for, and makes no guarantee or warranty about, the accuracy or reliability of the
information in this summary. The ICE Detention Standards are available in the DHS Detention Operations Manual (DOM) at www.ice.gov
