U.S. Sen. Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and seven other Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee have requested U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to provide information on the use of solitary confinement in its facilities.
According to Maui Now, the lawmakers had "serious concerns" and wrote a letter a letter to ICE to request information on how it conducts solitary confinement.
"ICE's excessive and seemingly indiscriminate use of solitary confinement is a longstanding problem that continues to persist," Hirono wrote in a Feb. 17 tweet. "It’s time ICE provides transparency with Congress and the public."
The letter came following an investigation by the Department of Homeland Security's Office of the Inspector General (OIG), which found a number of troubling failures regarding ICE’s oversight.
"OIG's findings call into question ICE's compliance with internal policies meant to reduce the unnecessary use of solitary confinement, which can cause irreparable harm to individuals in ICE custody — including those suffering from mental illness and other medical conditions," the lawmakers wrote in their letter.
In one sample of detention files, there was no evidence that ICE even considered alternatives to solitary confinement in 342 of 474 cases, a report found.
The report found that two detainees had been held in solitary confinement for more than 300 days, for periods of up to 23 hours per day.
"The consequences of such treatment can be severe. Research has found that long-term isolation can result in serious harm to both mental and physical health," according to the Senators' letter. "Experts have found that solitary confinement can be especially dangerous for medically vulnerable populations, such as the mentally ill."
The letter was signed by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (DMN), Sen. Christopher Coons (D-DE), Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA).