ICE has stopped paying for detainee medical treatment

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: Popular.info

ICE has stopped paying for detainee medical treatment

ICE halted payments in October, and the situation will persist for at least several more months

Judd Legum
Jan 20, 2026

During the second Trump administration, the population of migrants held at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities has exploded -- from below 40,000 in January 2025 to over 73,000 today. Under the law, ICE is required to provide necessary medical care for this population.

While ICE employs some of its own medical staff, it often uses third-party providers. ICE's Buffalo Federal Detention Facility, for example, houses over 500 detainees and has no doctor or dentist on staff.

ICE, however, has not paid any third-party providers for medical care for detainees since October 3, 2025. Last week, ICE posted a notice on an obscure government website* announcing it will not begin processing such claims until at least April 30, 2026. Until then, medical providers are instructed "to hold all claims submissions."

{snip}

* https://www.ice.gov/detain/ice-health-service-corps/ihs-managed-care

Read more: https://popular.info/p/ice-has-stopped-paying-for-detainee

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Reposted by Mike Masnick
https://bsky.app/profile/mmasnick.bsky.social

I’ve been writing Popular Information for 8 years, and this is one of the most important stories I’ve ever published. This is a humanitarian crisis that has gone unreported.

— Judd Legum (@juddlegum.bsky.social) 2026-01-20T13:47:44.974Z

********
Judd Legum
‪@juddlegum.bsky.social‬

I've been writing Popular Information for 8 years, and this is one of the most important stories I've ever published. This is a humanitarian crisis that has gone unreported.

ICE has stopped paying for detainee medical treatment
ICE halted payments in October, and the situation will persist for at least several more months
popular.info
8:47 AM · Jan 20, 2026
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[travelingthrulife]

1. These people are monsters. They will be worse than Nazis if we do not purge all of them

from our government.
Billions of dollars in their budget.

Worst christians ever.

[marble falls]

2. ICE treats their charges worse than puppy mills that get shut down for not giving medical care. ...

... If we lock people up we have the moral and ethical and legal obligation to preserve their health.

[Historic NY]

3. Funny we took care of POWs and disaffected during WWII

perhaps they need to mobilize US Military medical services or the Red Cross. You are responsible for who you keep.

[dalton99a]

4. The budget for ICE is $150 billion

$150 billion

from Trump's Big Beautiful Bill

[EX500rider]

10. ?

As of July 2025, Congress passed legislation that significantly increased funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with the agency receiving roughly $75 billion in new, multi-year funding.

Combined with existing appropriations, this brings ICE's operational budget for the 2025–2026 period to roughly $28.7 billion to $30 billion annually

[Solly Mack]

5. Damn

[fujiyamasan]

6. The US is a rogue and despotic nation

If I believed people in other countries would look past their own greed, I would say the US would be sanctioned and ostracized on the world stage. It still needs to happen. Hopefully Greenland is Mnago’s Waterloo. This madness needs to end.

There is no separating the tactics at home and those being used abroad.

[Bayard]

7. trump has declared war on immigrants,

This should be a war crime. I suspect this is why we're getting reports of detainees dying in jail, and why they don't want Congress members showing up to do inspections.

They're hoping if they wait long enough, the prisoners will die.

[kimbutgar]

8. Wouldn't that be construed as crimes against humanity to not provide medical care to those in need in jail?

A direct violation of the Geneva convention?

[RetiredParatrooper]

9. We aren't 'at war' with immigrants, so the GC probably doesn't apply

That said, you are legally and morally responsible for the health and safety of people in your custody.