Olivia Troye - Saturday Covfefe: The System Wants Fewer Witnesses
Welcome to this week’s Saturday Covfefe.
1. The ICE Watchdogs Are Gone
While the Trump administration rapidly expands immigration detention, the internal Department of Homeland Security office responsible for investigating deaths in custody, medical neglect, and abuse complaints is effectively shutting down. The Office of Immigration Detention Ombudsman (OIDO) was created by Congress in 2019 as an independent watchdog over ICE detention conditions. But according to reporting this week, the office has been gutted. Staffing reportedly dropped from more than 100 employees at the start of 2025 to just five this year.
At the same time, detention is growing fast. More migrants are being held for longer periods, while their immigration cases drag through the courts. The number of people detained for over a year has nearly doubled in just six months, while deaths in ICE custody have reached record highs.
As someone who has worked inside government systems, let me translate what this means plainly: when oversight disappears while enforcement powers grow, abuse becomes easier to hide.
That’s why watchdog offices matter. They create accountability. They force transparency. They make it harder for systems to operate in the dark. And right now, the lights are going out.
https://www.livingitwitholiviatroye.com/p/saturday-covfefe-the-system-wants