Women detained in ICE centers have denounced the conditions of their detention. They claim to have been subjected to inhumane, degrading, and humiliating treatment by detention center officials, The Latin Times reports.
Shackled for hours in buses without access to toilets, water, or food, they recount being forced into humiliating acts under the indifferent gaze of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, according to The Latin Times.
One woman who was detained by ICE explained that she had to defecate on the floor after waiting for several hours in a prison bus, restrained by chains, without any planned breaks for basic needs. “They treated us like animals,” she confided, describing an unbearable smell and total humiliation, according to The Latin Times.
Other detainees describe overcrowded cells where up to 27 women were crammed together, sleeping directly on the concrete floor. Access to medical care, drinking water, and hygiene products was reportedly extremely limited. One detainee even claimed she was advised by another detainee to “pretend to have a seizure” in hopes of seeing a doctor, The Latin Times revealed.
While ICE is already operating beyond its capacity, with more than 46,000 detainees for 41,500 available beds, the Trump administration’s immigration policies have further complicated the situation of those facing inhumane treatment. “Nazi prisoners received better treatment during World War II than the treatment given to immigrants under the Trump administration,” a judge at the Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., stated during a hearing on Monday, March 25.
“The conditions are extremely bad, and they should not be this way,” said immigration lawyer Nenad Milosevic during an interview with USA Today, cited by The Latin Times.
This is not the first time that the Krome North Processing Center in Florida has been accused of mistreatment. For several years, reports have exposed violence, medical negligence, and violations of fundamental rights in ICE detention centers. This year alone, two men have died in detention, The Latin Times reported.
ICE, for its part, has rejected these accusations, claiming that its practices comply with current standards. A spokesperson for the agency stated that without the names of the detainees involved, “these allegations cannot be verified.”
However, immigrant rights advocates argue that these reports are part of a well-documented pattern of institutionalized abuse. Lawyer Mich González emphasized that “authorities seek to build new centers, but in the meantime, they cram detainees into unworthy conditions.”
One detainee summarized her experience in a poignant letter she titled Hell on Earth: “No one cared about us.”
As U.S. immigration policy continues to divide the country, these testimonies serve as a brutal reminder: behind security rhetoric, thousands of men and women endure treatment that many experts consider incompatible with the principles of human rights.
This article is based on information reported by The Latin Times, supplemented by an analysis of detention conditions in ICE centers conducted by several immigrant rights organizations.
