Are Migrants Being Abused In ICE Detention Centers?

The organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) published a report alleging that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers in Florida have subjected detainees to inhumane conditions including lack of hygiene, extreme temperatures, and being forced to eat “like dogs.”

The Details: At one point, the Krome North Service Processing Center was so overcrowded that detainees were held on a bus in the parking lot for over 24 hours, HRW alleged. The toilet on the bus quickly clogged, and a migrant said “Because of this, the whole bus smelled strongly of feces.” One detainee told HRW that food was served to the migrants on chairs while they were still shackled with hands behind their backs, and they were forced to “bend over and eat off the chairs with our mouths, like dogs.” Female detainees at Krome allegedly had to use toilets in full view of male detainees.

Government Response: “Ensuring the safety, security, and well-being of individuals in our custody is a top priority at ICE,” assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin said. “ICE has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens.”

How the Media Covered It: Outlets on the left have highlighted recent reports of abuse and mistreatment in migrant centers. Outlets on the right have not; some, like The New York Post (Lean Right bias), have instead highlighted reports of abused migrants under the Biden administration. The Guardian (Left) wrote that migrants being forced to eat like dogs is “one of a succession of alleged abuses” at ICE facilities. The article detailed myriad instances of mistreatment from the HRW report. NewsNation (Center) highlighted details from the HRW report, but also included responses from government officials such as McLaughlin and Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL).

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