ICE has stopped paying for detainee medical treatment [View all]

[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

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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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