During an unannounced inspection of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Nye County Detention Center (Nye) in Pahrump, Nevada, OIG found that Nye’s staff complied with National Detention Standards 2019 (NDS 2019) for classification, access to law library and legal services, segregation, and use of force. However, facility and ICE staff did not fully comply with standards related to medical care, grievances, staff-detainee communication, facility conditions, and telephone access.
The OIG found that Nye medical staff did not perform transfer screening, indicate necessary follow-up care for abnormal vital signs and other health complaints, or accurately log its sharp instruments. They also found that Nye and ICE staff did not always provide timely responses to detainee grievances and requests. Finally, telephones in detainee housing units did not work, preventing detainees from making calls to ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, free legal service providers, consular officials, and the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General.