A new report released on July 21 by Human Rights Watch, Americans for Immigrant Justice, and Sanctuary of the South documents extensive allegations of abuse, overcrowding, and inadequate medical care at three Florida immigration detention centers: Krome North Service Processing Center, Broward Transitional Center, and the Federal Detention Center in Miami.

The 92-page report cites instances of detainees being denied necessary medical treatment, experiencing degrading living conditions, and being subject to punitive measures while in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody. The report also notes that population levels at these facilities have, in some cases, exceeded their contractual capacity.

At Krome, the detained population more than tripled in the first three months of 2025, reaching nearly three times its operational capacity. The Federal Detention Center, a federal prison that in recent years had not been used for immigration detention, began holding hundreds of immigrants in February as part of a broader surge in detention nationwide.

This overcrowding crisis is part of a national pattern, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement data showing that 45 out of 181 authorized detention facilities across the country exceeded their contractual capacity in mid-April. In some cases, facilities have held dramatically more people than their intended capacity. Krome North Service Processing Center held nearly 1,200 more people than its contractual capacity on at least one night during fiscal year 2025.

The report documents particularly disturbing incidents of degrading treatment that violate basic human dignity. Detainees at the Federal Detention Center were forced to eat while shackled with their hands behind their backs, leaving them no choice but to bend over and eat from chairs with their mouths “like dogs,” according to testimony from Harpinder Chauhan, a British entrepreneur who was detained by ICE at a routine immigration appointment.

Chauhan, who suffers from diabetes and heart disease, reported being denied insulin at various points during his detention across multiple facilities, including at Broward Transitional Center for nearly a week, after which he collapsed and was taken to a hospital.

The report reveals systematic medical neglect that has contributed to preventable suffering and potentially avoidable deaths. Detainees described being denied necessary medical care for chronic conditions including diabetes, asthma, and HIV. One man recounted being denied treatment for a strangulated hernia at Krome until he collapsed in pain, with a doctor later telling him that his intestines would have likely ruptured if treatment had been delayed any longer.

At least two deaths in custody, one at Krome and one at Broward Transitional Center, may have been linked to medical neglect. The death of Marie Ange Blaise, a 44-year-old Haitian woman at Broward Transitional Center, has drawn particular scrutiny. According to witness accounts documented in the report, Blaise complained of chest pain and was given pills and told to lie down, but staff delayed calling for medical help even as detainees yelled for assistance.

The report also reveals that women have been held at Krome, designated as a men’s detention facility, without access to gender-appropriate care or privacy. Women detained at Krome for processing reported being held in rooms with exposed toilets visible to male detainees in adjacent cells.

Beyond the specific incidents of abuse, the report documents widespread problems with basic living conditions. Detainees described being held for days in frigid conditions during “processing,” sitting and sleeping on cold concrete floors in rooms designed to hold far fewer people for much shorter periods.

One man described sleeping next to a toilet in a room so crowded that people had to step over each other to move. Another detainee reported being denied access to soap or water for 20 consecutive days. At Krome, some cells held more than double their intended capacity after processing.

These conditions at Florida facilities are occurring against the backdrop of a massive surge in immigration detention nationwide under the Trump administration. The number of people held in ICE custody has grown by approximately 25% since Trump took office, with the administration pushing to double detention capacity from 50,000 to 100,000 beds.

Border czar Tom Homan has stated that ICE needs at least 100,000 detention beds to carry out the administration’s mass deportation plans, more than double the current funded capacity of 41,500 beds. This expansion has led to overcrowding at facilities across the country, with nearly 90% of people in ICE custody held in facilities run by for-profit private companies.

As of June 2025, ICE was holding approximately 59,000 detainees, representing the highest immigration detention population in U.S. history and operating at over 140% of the agency’s congressionally funded capacity. Internal data reveals that nearly half of those detained lack any criminal record, while fewer than 30% have been convicted of crimes.

The expansion of immigration detention has generated significant profits for private prison companies, which operate approximately 90% of immigration detention facilities. The GEO Group, which operates Broward Transitional Center, and CoreCivic have announced the addition of more than 6,000 beds across the country to meet the Trump administration’s detention demands.

These companies have received substantial new contracts from the Trump administration, with GEO Group reporting deals generating a combined annual revenue of $130 million. The financial incentives created by immigration detention have raised concerns about conflicts of interest, particularly given that border czar Tom Homan collected consulting fees from GEO Group prior to his appointment.

The GEO Group was the first corporation whose political action committee (PAC) “maxed out” contributions to Trump’s current campaign, using both its PAC and subsidiaries to direct over $1 million to pro-Trump super PACs and fundraising committees in the 2024 cycle alone. Key executives, including founder George Zoley and CEO Brian Evans, have made significant personal contributions to Trump committees. GEO Group has also held events and patronized Trump-owned properties.

The conditions documented in the report appear to violate not only international human rights standards but also ICE’s own detention standards, which require humane treatment, access to medical care, and protection from abuse. The systematic nature of the violations suggests institutional failures rather than isolated incidents.

ICE’s National Detention Standards mandate that facilities provide adequate medical care, including emergency services, preventive care, and treatment for chronic conditions. The agency’s standards also require humane treatment and protection from abuse, requirements that appear to have been systematically violated at the Florida facilities.

The organizations behind the report have called for immediate action to address the abusive conditions, including:

• Ending the use of immigration detention as a default response to immigration enforcement
• Prioritizing community-based alternatives to detention
• Providing immediate independent oversight of detention facilities
• Ensuring access to adequate medical and mental health care
• Addressing the fundamental structural problems that enable abuse.

Numerous organizations, government agencies, and journalists have documented pervasive issues in U.S. immigration detention centers for decades. Some notable examples include:

• ACLU & National Immigration Law Center (2009): A comprehensive report revealed that detainees’ fundamental rights were routinely and systematically violated across detention centers.
• ACLU (2018): Reports documented widespread abuse, including physical, verbal, sexual, and psychological mistreatment, of immigrant children in custody of U.S. border officials between 2009 and 2014.
• USA Today Investigation (2019): Analysis of inspection reports since 2015 revealed over 16,000 reports of violence, numerous complaints of sexual abuse, medical neglect, solitary confinement, as well as deaths in custody.
• Department of Homeland Security Inspector General (2017): Federal investigations found significant “inhumane treatment,” including insufficient hygiene, unsafe food, and inadequate medical care in multiple ICE detention facilities.
• NPR & Civil Rights Inspectors (2023): A 1,600-page confidential government report, later made public, detailed “negligent” medical care, unsafe and filthy conditions, and racist abuse at ICE centers nationwide.