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OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL
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Washington, DC 20528 

June 2, 2020

Distinguished Senators
(See enclosed list)

United States Senate

Washington, DC.

Dear Distinguished Senators:

Thank you for your April 8, 2020 letter requesting that our of?ce open an
investigation into recent reports that US. Customs and Border
Protection (CBP) of?cials are mistreating pregnant people in their
custody. Speci?cally, you requested answers to whether CBP personnel
are complying with existing standards, whether its policies need to be
changed or developed further, and whether its oversight and
accountability mechanisms are suf?cient to ensure compliance from its
personnel.

We have considered your request and we intend to review these issues
with a multi?faceted approach. First, we are reviewing the speci?c
circumstances surrounding the treatment of the eight-month pregnant
woman who gave birth at the Chula Vista Border Patrol Station that you
referenced in your letter. Second, we will incorporate your overarching
concerns related to the treatment of pregnant people in custody
into an audit of detention facility policies and processes for handling
medical intervention. Our objective is to determine whether 
policies and procedures safeguard detained migrants experiencing
serious medical conditions while in custody, including pregnancy. Once
our work is complete, we will report publicly on our audit ?ndings.

Please call me with any questions, or your staff may contact Erica
Paulson, Assistant Inspector General for External Affairs, at
(202) 981?6000.

  

osep V. Cuff
Inspector General

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OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL

Department of Homeland Security

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Letter to the Requesting Senators:

The Honorable Richard Blumenthal
The Honorable Edward J. Markey
The Honorable Maize K. Hirono
The Honorable Thomas R. Carper
The Honorable Richard J. Durbin
The Honorable Elizabeth Warren
The Honorable Kamala D. Harris
The Honorable Christopher Van Hollen
The Honorable Cory A. Booker

The Honorable Tammy Duckworth
The Honorable Kirsten Gillibrand
The Honorable Amy Klobuchar

The Honorable Jeffrey A. Merkley