Four immigrant women detained at an ICE processing center have come forward with horrifying accounts of harsh treatment, including hours spent chained on prison buses with no access to food, water, or toilets.
According to testimonies given by USA Today, guards instructed the ladies to urinate and defecate on the floor during lengthy transports that lasted up to 12 hours. “It stank so badly,” one of the captives stated.
The ladies, who were all detained for alleged immigration infractions but had no criminal history, claim they were then stuffed into overcrowded holding cells “like sardines in a jar” at the Krome North Processing Center in Miami.
They described being crammed into cramped, overcrowded cells with up to 27 other people, sleeping on concrete floors with little access to water, showers, or sanitation facilities. The overcrowded cell’s two toilets were open and under camera surveillance. One detainee reported receiving advice to induce a seizure if she sought medical assistance. Another detainee recounted experiencing such tight shackles that it was difficult for her to breathe.
“They put like chains on us, hands to waist, connected. It was very scary because they chained my chest super-tight and I couldn’t breathe properly,” she said. “I was really scared because I thought, ‘I’m not going to be able to breathe.'”
The charges come as ICE detention facilities across the country reach capacity as the Trump administration pushes for greater immigration enforcement. Despite having 41,500 beds available, the DHS reportedly held nearly 46,000 inmates.
“I know the conditions are extremely bad, and they’re not supposed to be that way,” Miami immigration attorney Nenad Milosevic told USA Today.
An ICE representative indicated that the agency cannot corroborate the allegations without the names of the ladies, who have sought anonymity due to fear of retaliation while still incarcerated. “These allegations are not in keeping with ICE policies, practices, and standards of care,” according to the statement.
However, previous investigations have revealed continued human rights concerns at Krome and in immigration detention facilities under both Democratic and Republican administrations. This year alone, two men died in detention at the Krome facility.
The administration intends to increase detention capacity, including a proposed facility at Guantanamo Bay, proposals to build detention facilities on military bases, and collaboration with local law enforcement to use jails.
“They clearly have plans to reopen facilities or build new ones,” immigration attorney Mich González said. “But in the meantime they are overcrowding the existing facilities.”
One of the women spoke about her ordeal in a letter titled “Hell on Earth.” “They acted like we were animals,” she claimed. “Nobody cared.”
