ICE stopped paying for detainee medical care as population surged, Ossoff investigation finds widespread neglect

[cbabe]

https://www.cbsnews.com/atlanta/news/ice-stopped-paying-for-detainee-medical-care-as-population-surged/

ICE stopped paying for detainee medical care as population surged, Ossoff investigation finds widespread neglect

By Zachary Bynum, Popular Information
January 21, 2026 / 12:00 PM EST / CBS Atlanta

ATLANTA — As the number of people held in U.S. immigration detention has surged nationwide, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has stopped paying outside medical providers for detainee care, according to newly reported government records — a breakdown that coincides with a Georgia-led Senate investigation documenting dozens of cases of alleged medical neglect inside ICE facilities.

According to reporting by Popular Information, ICE has not paid third-party medical providers for detainee treatment since October 3, 2025, instructing providers to hold all claims until at least April 30, 2026.

The lapse comes as the detained population has ballooned from fewer than 40,000 people in January 2025 to more than 73,000 today.

Federal law requires ICE to provide necessary medical care to people in its custody.

…

This development adds new context to an investigation led by Jon Ossoff, who last year documented 85 credible reports of medical neglect at ICE detention centers nationwide, including cases involving:

Untreated chest pain leading to heart attacks

Complications from unmanaged diabetes

Denial of necessary medications

Ossoff's office said the incidents occurred between January and August 2025, before the payment system collapsed — raising concerns that conditions may have worsened since.

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