Interior Secretary Doug Burgum is presiding over a shrinking workforce even as his department’s chief watchdog calls for greater investment in the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ long-troubled detention facilities.
In a critical new review, the Interior Department’s Office of Inspector General found incomplete serious incident reporting, staffing shortages and increased overcrowding at the 85 detention facilities located throughout Indian Country.
“The persistent weaknesses in detention program operations and facility maintenance represent a significant risk to the safety and well-being of inmates and staff,” the new OIG report warned.
The continued serious shortcomings were found notwithstanding a public effort by former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to address the BIA detention facility problems previously identified in a 2016 OIG report. Haaland was the first Native American to lead the department.
