In custody
Punished for complaining or organizing
Isolation, transfer, lost privileges, or threats after the person complained, filed a grievance, spoke to media, organized, or joined a hunger strike.
Documented in 17 states. Every well-documented story coded this way, grouped by state. See what accompanies it →
Arizona
Ahmed S.: Gay Arizona man deported, beaten in Equatorial GuineaAhmed Soliman, a gay Egyptian-born green card holder raised in Arizona since childhood, was deported to Equatorial Guinea under a third-country removal deal, then beaten and hospitalized after speaking to journalists about detention conditions.Tucson, AZ · Oct 22, 2026 · TimesLive, TBS News, News24 +14- Cuban asylum seeker deported by ICE to Ecuador after hunger strikesA Cuban asylum seeker held at Florence Correctional Center staged hunger strikes over detention conditions, then was placed in solitary confinement and deported to Ecuador, ending his U.S. legal case.Florence, AZ · Jul 13, 2026 · Arizona Mirror, News from the States
Karla S.: Trans organizer detained at Phoenix ICE check-in, held in men's unitKarla Saenz, a 26-year-old Venezuelan transgender organizer with Trans Queer Pueblo, was detained at a routine check-in and held in a men's unit at Eloy Detention Center, where she contracted COVID-19.Phoenix, AZ · Apr 23, 2026 · Lookout News, The Advocate, High Country News
California
Whistleblower says Trump ordered FBI to investigate LA anti-ICE protestersA former FBI supervisory analyst alleges Trump ordered a 10-agent squad to investigate Los Angeles anti-ICE protesters even after finding their activity was constitutionally protected, and that she was pushed out for objecting.Los Angeles, CA · Oct 6, 2026 · The Guardian
Adelanto detainees zip-tied, threatened with teargas after staging hunger strikeDetainees at Adelanto who staged a hunger strike were zip-tied, threatened with teargas, put in solitary confinement and transferred, attorneys say, while officials deny retaliation occurred.Adelanto, CA · Jul 28, 2026 · The Guardian, Immigration Defenders, Los Angeles Times +2
Belizean asylum seeker held nearly two years by ICE alleges forced laborA Belizean asylum seeker held nearly two years at a Kern County detention facility described forced labor and medical neglect, and helped free other detainees through legal filings. He now challenges the fairness of his own bond hearing.California City, CA · Jun 25, 2026 · Freedom for Immigrants, Los Angeles Times, EXA +1
Kyon S.: Adelanto hunger strike organizer deported to Belize after speaking to CongressKyon Shakeel Swaso, 35, helped organize a hunger strike at California's Adelanto detention center and later spoke with Congress about conditions there. He was then transferred twice and deported to Belize, which advocates called retaliation.Adelanto, CA · Jun 17, 2026 · Democracy Now, KVCR News, Calo News +2
Isaac V.M.: Pasadena day laborer detained again by ICE at check-inIsaac Antonio Villegas Molina, a Pasadena day laborer from Panama, was redetained during a routine check-in months after his first arrest sparked a lawsuit. A judge ordered his immediate release, calling the redetention retaliatory.Pasadena, CA · Apr 24, 2026 · Pasadena Star News, Pasadena Now, ABC7 +7
Anna W.: Woman who filmed HSI agent has Global Entry revoked days laterAnna Walker, 31, had her Global Entry status revoked days after filming a Homeland Security agent who confronted her in a Target parking lot; it was restored after press inquiries.San Diego, CA · Feb 25, 2026 · HuffPost, Small Business Minder, AOL +2- Otay Mesa detainees throw notes over fence alleging poor food, medical neglectDetainees at Otay Mesa threw handwritten notes over the fence describing 280 days without fresh fruit, cold cells, and poor medical care. A congressman and county supervisors were denied entry to inspect the facility.San Diego, CA · Feb 16, 2026 · International Business Times, NBC San Diego, LA Taco +2
Adelanto ICE detainees denied seizure medication, at least two have diedDetainees at Adelanto ICE Processing Center sued over denied medical care, poor nutrition and unsanitary conditions, citing untreated infections and at least two deaths, including Ismael Ayala-Uribe's in September 2025.Adelanto, CA · Jan 26, 2026 · Public Counsel, Immigration Defenders- Diana S.L.: DJ seeking asylum held unclothed in cold cell after ICE check-inDiana Sanchez Ledezma, a Stockton DJ known as DJ Reina Azteca, was detained at a routine check-in in December 2025. After months in custody marked by medical fear, a judge freed her in April.San Diego, CA · Dec 2025 · Daylight San Diego, Daily Cast News
Silvia R.M.: Mother who reported sexual misconduct deported by ICE despite court orderSilvia Reyna Mendoza, a mother of 8 who lived in the U.S. for 40 years, was deported a day after a judge barred her removal for reporting sexual misconduct by an ICE contractor. She remains held in Kern County.Kern County, CA · Oct 26, 2025 · Newsweek, Sacramento Bee
Colorado
Florida
Raúl S.H.: Cuban man says he was locked in phone-booth-sized cage at Alligator AlcatrazRaúl Suárez Herrero, 59, a former truck driver who lived in the U.S. nearly five decades, says he was caged for 15 hours at 'Alligator Alcatraz' and later deported to Mexico.Ochopee, FL · Sep 18, 2026 · The Bold News, Cuba Headlines, Phoenix Q +2%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fi.s3.glbimg.com%2Fv1%2FAUTH_37554604729d4b2f9f3eb9ad8a691345%2Finternal_photos%2Fbs%2F2026%2Fb%2Fg%2FvZbPS2RkWhoTus1aL2KA%2Fbrasileiros-deportados.jpg&w=128&q=75)
Pietro G.L.: Gay Brazilian man deported to Equatorial Guinea despite winning torture protection rulingPietro Graza de Lima, who ran a small business in Orlando for seven years after fleeing violence in Brazil, won protection from deportation but was flown instead to Equatorial Guinea, where he lost contact with his lawyers.Orlando, FL · Sep 11, 2026 · valorinternational.globo.com, Miami Herald, Lookout News +4
Immigrants held by ICE in Miami endure extreme heat, cockroaches, medical neglectFive immigrants held at Miami's downtown federal detention center described scorching, cockroach-infested cells, overflowing toilets and denied medical care, with some facing solitary confinement for speaking to reporters.Miami, FL · Jul 18, 2026 · Miami Herald, Tampa Free Press
Detainees beaten, one's wrist broken, at Florida facility after phone outage complaintTwo detainees at a Florida facility known as "Alligator Alcatraz" were beaten and pepper-sprayed after complaining about broken phones needed to reach family and lawyers; one suffered a broken wrist.Florida, FL · Apr 15, 2026 · Miami Herald, WSLS, Associated Press- Two Jamaican men beaten, maced for reporting abuse at detention centerTwo Jamaican men held at Glades County Detention Center reported abuse and were then beaten and maced in solitary confinement, one dragged by the head. A civil rights complaint has been filed on their behalf.Moore Haven, FL · Feb 22 · Freedom for Immigrants, Broward Palm Beach, Miami Herald +1
Detainees say they were punished for seeking lawyers at Florida facilityTwo former detainees at Florida's Everglades detention center testified they faced retaliation for seeking legal help, including dropped calls and denied pen and paper; one Haitian man said he was made to sign self-deportation papers without a lawyer.Florida · Jan 28, 2026 · Boston Herald, Associated Press, Detroit News +4
Everglades detainees beaten and pepper-sprayed by guards after protesting lost phone accessDetainees at an Everglades facility were beaten and pepper-sprayed after a protest over lost phone access, their attorneys say. A federal judge ordered improved legal access, though compliance has been slow.Fort Myers, FL · Apr 2, 2025 · MSN, CBS News, The Independent +1
Harpinder C.: British entrepreneur on valid visa hospitalized after ICE denied him insulinHarpinder Singh Chauhan, a 56-year-old British entrepreneur and father of two on a valid visa, had his insulin and inhaler confiscated in detention and collapsed in April with cardiac symptoms before being deported to the UK in June.Florida, FL · Feb 11, 2025 · Human Rights Watch, Economic Times, HuffPost
Georgia
Illinois
Kansas
Louisiana
Women at Louisiana ICE facility report beatings, medical neglect, missing childrenWomen held at a Louisiana ICE facility describe beatings, medical neglect and separation from their children, including a mother kept from her five-month-old daughter and a woman denied kidney care.Basile, LA · Jul 29, 2026 · Americans Against ICE, New York 1, Kaizen
Queer and trans immigrants allege abuse at Louisiana ICE detention facility.Queer and trans immigrants held at a Louisiana ICE facility say they were forced into unpaid hard labor and sexually harassed or assaulted by an assistant warden between 2023 and 2025. Four filed formal complaints.Basile, LA · Oct 16, 2025 · The Guardian, Newsweek, Rift TV +1
Maine
Michigan
Minnesota
New Jersey
Martín S.: Father held in solitary, wife loses pregnancy during ICE detentionMartin Soto, a restaurant cook and father of two, was detained by ICE while buying diapers for his son. He spent months in solitary confinement, where his wife told him she had lost her pregnancy.Kearny, NJ · Oct 6, 2026 · NJ.com, Mamas Latinas, Truthout +16- Burkina Faso asylum seeker held by ICE nearly a year in NewarkA man from Burkina Faso seeking asylum has been held nearly a year at Newark's Delaney Hall with no release date. He joined a hunger strike protesting conditions there.Newark, NJ · Jul 27, 2026 · Documented
300 detainees on hunger strike at Delaney Hall report beatings, solitaryAbout 300 people held at Delaney Hall in Newark went on hunger strike over spoiled food, filthy bathrooms, and poor medical care, including one detainee denied treatment for a head injury after slipping in the shower.Newark, NJ · Jun 30, 2026 · CBS News, NBC News, El País +10
Hundreds hunger strike over worm-infested food at Newark ICE facilityHundreds of detainees at Newark's Delaney Hall began a hunger strike in May 2026 over spoiled, worm-infested food and $1-a-day labor; guards used pepper spray on protesters outside.Newark, NJ · Jun 11, 2026 · ACLU, Patch, Theresa's Sweetheart +12
Ariadna Z.: NJ teen detained 53 days by ICE, missing prom and graduationAriadna Zumba, 18, in the U.S. since age nine, was held 53 days at Delaney Hall, missing prom and graduation. She later got her diploma and plans to study social sciences.Orange, NJ · Apr 9, 2026 · North Jersey, IFEG
New Mexico
Rogelio B.: Cuban hunger striker moved across four states, deported to Ecuador by ICERogelio Bolufé, 44, was moved across four states after a 10-day hunger strike protesting detention conditions, then deported to Ecuador in May 2026 while appealing his case.Estancia, NM · May 11, 2026 · Tri City Record, Are You Pop, News from the States +2
Rogelio B.I.: Cuban hunger striker says ICE shuttled him through four states, denied careRogelio Bolufé Izquierdo, a 44-year-old Cuban detainee who organized about 200 others to document poor facility conditions, says he was denied medical care and shuffled through four states during a hunger strike.Estancia, NM · Apr 19, 2026 · Albuquerque Journal, News from the States, Tri City Record +1
Pennsylvania
Tennessee
Estefany R.F.: Spanish-language reporter held by ICE over two weeksEstefany Rodríguez Flórez, a Spanish-language reporter and mother who fled Colombia after threats over her journalism, was detained after dropping her daughter at school and held over two weeks before being released on bond.Nashville, TN · Sep 11, 2026 · WBIR, El País, KSHB +25
Jessica C.: Woman tackled, arrested while filming ICE task force traffic stop in MemphisJessica Chodor was tackled, threatened with a taser and arrested while filming a Memphis task force traffic stop; the charge against her was later dropped. She joined three others in a federal lawsuit.Memphis, TN · September 2025 · Mother Jones, Tennessee Lookout, MLK50 +1
Texas
Texas cook whose U.S. citizen son criticized ICE deported to MexicoA cook at an Alamo, Texas restaurant was arrested outside work and deported within hours after her teenage son, a U.S. citizen, publicly criticized ICE for detaining him.Alamo, TX · Sep 27, 2026 · Across the Americas, Eyes On Ice, Parriva +4
Detained children face measles, teen attempts suicide in Dilley, TexasFamilies and children held at the Dilley detention center faced worms and mold in food, a measles outbreak, and a 13-year-old girl denied anxiety medication who attempted suicide before deportation.Dilley, TX · Feb 27, 2026 · Boston Herald, Imprint News, News 4 San Antonio +13
Children's letters about conditions seized and destroyed at Dilley ICE facilityDetained children at a Dilley family facility had letters and drawings describing conditions seized and destroyed; after a lawsuit, ICE released just nine pages of the confiscated materials.Dilley, TX · Feb 9, 2026 · KBPP, Truthout, Mueller She Wrote +1
Ricardo H.: Cuban man beaten by Fort Bliss guards after 20 hours without foodA 31-year-old Cuban man held at Fort Bliss said about 15 guards beat him after he banged on a door asking for food following more than 20 hours without meals, causing ear and collarbone injuries.El Paso, TX · Jan 3, 2026 · CiberCuba, Cuba Headlines
Mother of teen beaten by ICE deported days after family spoke outTeresa de Jesus Ochoa Briseño, a cook arrested outside her Alamo restaurant, was deported to Mexico the same day, ten days after her son Luis, 17, said agents broke his wrist.Alamo, TX · Sep 11, 2025 · Newsweek, International Business Times, CRBC News +2
Martin G.: 66-year-old cancer survivor with partial lung removal denied care for monthsMartin G., a 66-year-old Cuban cancer survivor with part of a lung removed, says he was denied medical care for months while detained, then put in solitary confinement after a hunger strike.El Paso, TX · September 2025 · Human Rights Watch
Detained children in South Texas have crayons and drawings confiscated by guardsChildren held at the Dilley detention facility, where letters described missing school and feeling scared, have had crayons, drawings, and email access confiscated after their accounts and a 5-year-old's arrival drew public attention.“I came on vacation for 10 Days and they took me into an ice office an officer interrogated me 2 hours without my mom, I was traveling with flight attendant because my mom lives in new york, they only wanted to arrest my mom, because my mom didn’t have documents to live in U.S.A.” — Maria Antonia Guerra MontoyaDilley, TX · Jan 15, 2025 · ProPublica, The Independent, Courier Texas +2
Virginia
Location not tied to one state
- Adam: Refugee granted protection by judge deported to Equatorial Guinea and beatenA 26-year-old refugee called Adam, who fled forced military conscription and had won protection from deportation, was secretly sent to Equatorial Guinea, where he has been confined under guard and beaten for nearly a year.Oct 2, 2026 · The Guardian, Reuters
Samson B.: Eritrean refugee deported to Equatorial Guinea beaten, held without lawyer accessSamson Birhane, a refugee who came to the U.S. at 13, was deported to Equatorial Guinea and beaten alongside fellow deportee Ahmed Soliman after documenting abuse at a detention site. Both remain jailed without lawyer access.Malabo, Equatorial Guinea · Sep 11, 2026 · The Guardian, Business Insider Africa, Amnesty International +2