U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

[fawnmarie, ASN]

Hello, nurses! I would like to know if anyone has worked as an RN in a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Detention Center. Please share your experience.

[CCHP-RN]

I haven't worked as an employee for ICE.  However, the company I work for provides healthcare in 5 private facilities solely housing ICE detainees.  

It's somewhat different in the way ICE provides services.  However, it comes down to providing healthcare in detention/corrections.  We do intakes, physicals, preventative care, CID, CC, routine and acute care (sick call), emergency care, pill call, etc.

ICE publishes all of their standards online at https://www.ice.gov/detain/detention-management/2011

These standards were revised in 2016 and are performance based.  All of the standards are essentially based on NCCHC and ACA/ALDF standards, but can be more stringent in some areas.  

The biggest challenge is communication with the various languages of the detainees.  A facility with <500 beds, typically can have 60+ nationalities represented.

Hope this helps.  If you have other questions, let me know.  Always willing to share experiences and any knowledge I may have after 25 years in corrections.?