Broward Transitional Center
Pompano Beach, Florida · 18 well-documented stories
What stands out here
Conditions that appear in a larger share of this facility's stories than of facility stories in general. Stories run from Feb 2025 to Sep 2026.
- Medical requests ignored28% vs 15%
Requests for care, a doctor, or an emergency response were refused, delayed, or dismissed.
- No bed, sleep, or basic hygiene28% vs 5%
Slept on the floor, no bed or blanket, lights on all night, no shower, no toilet access, or similar.
- Overcrowding22% vs 6%
Held in a space far over capacity: a holding cell, a bus, an airport facility, a tent.
- Abuse or threats by staff22% vs 6%
Beatings, threats, humiliation, slurs, or theft by guards or staff.
- Shackled or chained17% vs 6%
Shackled, chained, zip-tied for long periods, restrained during transport or medical care, or held in a restraint chair.
share of stories hereacross all facilities
Everything the stories describe here
- Medical requests ignored · 5 stories
Requests for care, a doctor, or an emergency response were refused, delayed, or dismissed.
- No bed, sleep, or basic hygiene · 5 stories
Slept on the floor, no bed or blanket, lights on all night, no shower, no toilet access, or similar.
- Overcrowding · 4 stories
Held in a space far over capacity: a holding cell, a bus, an airport facility, a tent.
- Abuse or threats by staff · 4 stories
Beatings, threats, humiliation, slurs, or theft by guards or staff.
- Shackled or chained · 3 stories
Shackled, chained, zip-tied for long periods, restrained during transport or medical care, or held in a restraint chair.
- Medication withheld · 3 stories
Prescribed medication (insulin, HIV drugs, psychiatric medication, seizure drugs, chemotherapy) was taken, withheld, or not provided.
- Injury needing medical treatment · 3 stories
The person or a bystander was hurt badly enough to need medical care.
- Food or water withheld · 3 stories
The person went without food or water for an extended period, or was given spoiled or inadequate food.
- Died in custody or soon after · 2 stories
The person died while detained, during transport, or within days of release or deportation.
- Family not told · 1 story
Relatives were not informed of the arrest, a transfer, a hospitalization, or a death, or learned of it from the press or other detainees.
- Extreme heat or cold · 1 story
Held in a freezing or dangerously hot space (hieleras, no heat, no air conditioning in summer).
- Punished for complaining or organizing · 1 story
Isolation, transfer, lost privileges, or threats after the person complained, filed a grievance, spoke to media, organized, or joined a hunger strike.
- Pepper spray, tear gas, or taser · 1 story
Agents used pepper spray, tear gas, a taser, or similar on the person or a crowd.
In their words
“I gave four years of my life to this country. I feel honored to be here, that this is my country, but knowing that this country doesn't want my mother makes me feel terrible. It hurts me and my sisters because she is the only parent we have here.”
“Mamá, estoy en un estado de vulnerabilidad total. Ellos pueden hacer conmigo lo que quieran, cuando quieran, como quieran.”
Stories
Claudia R.C.: Venezuelan soccer captain held 17 days by ICEClaudia Rodríguez Caglianone, a former St. Thomas University soccer captain with a pending asylum case, was held at crowded ICE facilities for over two weeks, losing 15 pounds before release.Fort Lauderdale, FL · Sep 30, 2026 · CBS News, Latin Times, Miami Herald +4
Ernestina P.: Argentine personal trainer held by ICE in Texas facility with ratsErnestina Pavlovsky, 33, an Argentine personal trainer who lived in Aspen for 13 years, was held a month at a Texas facility she said had rats and mold before a judge approved her voluntary departure.“Mamá, estoy en un estado de vulnerabilidad total. Ellos pueden hacer conmigo lo que quieran, cuando quieran, como quieran.” — Ernestina PavlovskyTX · Sep 9, 2026 · La Nación, Primera Hora, Filo News
Emmanuel N.: Haitian high school football player, 18, held by ICE after traffic stopEmmanuel Nelson, 18, a senior linebacker for Port St. Lucie High School, remains held weeks after a school-zone traffic stop. His family says he has a pending residency petition and had a valid work permit.Port St. Lucie, FL · Aug 19, 2026 · CBS12, L'Union Suite, Treasure Coast Palm +2
Katrina C.M.: Former Cuban judge detained by ICE outside Florida home as daughter sleptKatrina Castro-Menéndez, 41, a former Cuban municipal judge, was detained outside her Florida home while her 15-year-old daughter slept, and remains held as she denies concealing Communist Party ties.Cooper City, FL · Aug 18, 2026 · CiberCuba, El País, HCN Times
Claudia R.: Venezuelan TPS holder detained by ICE, lost 15 pounds in overcrowded cellClaudia Rodríguez, 29, a Venezuelan immigrant with a business master's degree, was detained trying to board a flight and held in an overcrowded cell before a congresswoman helped secure her release.Pompano Beach, FL · Aug 3, 2026 · Telemundo, NBC Miami, Miami Herald +3
Jorge Luis R.: Venezuelan husband detained by ICE while U.S. citizen wife battles breast cancerJorge Luis Eliecer Ruiz, 36, was detained near Coconut Creek while his U.S. citizen wife battles breast cancer. The couple married in 2025 and had filed for his permanent residency.Coconut Creek, FL · Aug 3, 2026 · CBS News
María Alejandra R.M.: Asylum seeker held by ICE after Miami car crashMaría Alejandra Rivas Martínez, 19, was driving her girlfriend to a medical appointment when her car was rear-ended in Miami, leading a state officer to alert ICE and have her detained despite a pending asylum case.Miami, FL · Apr 14, 2026 · Alertas 24, Cactus 24, Caraota Digital +1
Rogelio: Father of five held by ICE seven months, approved for green cardRogelio, 39, a Guatemalan immigrant married to a U.S. citizen with five children, was held for seven months after a traffic stop. A judge has now approved his path to a green card.La Belle, Florida · Mar 9, 2026 · AOL, Miami Herald, Detroit News +1
Nicolth H.L.: Asylum-seeking surgical technician detained by ICE driving home in Fort LauderdaleNicolth Hernandez-Lucero, a 24-year-old surgical technician who has lived in the U.S. nine years, was detained while driving home in Fort Lauderdale as her husband recorded. She is now held in Pompano Beach awaiting a bond hearing.Fort Lauderdale, FL · Feb 12, 2026 · NBC Miami, AOL, PublicSource +4
Marcos Antonio O.B.: 57-year-old father of U.S. citizen held by ICE nearly six monthsMarcos Antonio De Oliveira Barros, 57, has spent nearly six months at a Florida detention center after overstaying a tourist visa. His daughter, a U.S. citizen, is raising money online to cover legal costs while supporting the family's construction business.Stewart, FL · Sep 24, 2025 · The Mirror, ACHEI USA
Maria B.V.: Marine's mother detained applying for military family protection, deported to MexicoMaria Ursula Borja Valle, 54, mother of a Marine who served four years, was detained at an appointment to seek protection as a military relative and deported despite a stroke requiring ongoing medication.“I gave four years of my life to this country. I feel honored to be here, that this is my country, but knowing that this country doesn't want my mother makes me feel terrible. It hurts me and my sisters because she is the only parent we have here.” — Jose Manuel VilchisPompano Beach, FL · Aug 15, 2025 · Associated Press, Cuba Headlines, The Banner +1
Detainees at three Florida immigration centers denied insulin and inhalersA Human Rights Watch report found detainees at three Florida facilities denied insulin and inhalers, forced to sleep on concrete floors, and facing excessive force; substandard care was linked to two deaths.Miami, FL · Jul 21, 2025 · Human Rights Watch, ACLU Florida, Amnesty USA +2
Didie E.: Newlywed Cuban man detained by ICE after Miami hearingDidie Espinoza, 44, had just married his U.S. citizen wife when ICE agents handcuffed him in a Miami courthouse hallway after his asylum case was dismissed.Miami, FL · Jun 16, 2025 · CBS News, CiberCuba, Univision
Randy M.P.: Cuban barber seeking asylum held over a year after ICE courthouse arrestRandy Mesa Padrón, a 30-year-old Cuban barber who had attended all required appointments, was detained by ICE right after his asylum case was dismissed; his wife raised over $5,000 for his legal defense.Natchez, MS · Jun 8, 2025 · CiberCuba, Cuba Headlines, Hola Nación
Marie Ange B.: Haitian woman dies in ICE custody after guards allegedly ignored her distressMarie Ange Blaise, a 44-year-old Haitian woman, died in April 2025 at a Florida detention center after complaining of chest pains for hours while guards reportedly ignored pleas for help from other detained women.Pompano Beach, FL · Apr 25, 2025 · USA Today, CBS News, Miami Herald +5- 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
Diabetic British man with heart disease denied medications in ICE detention, collapsesA 56-year-old British man with diabetes, pancreatitis and heart disease was shackled for hours and denied consistent medication across three Florida facilities, later collapsing and being hospitalized under a false name.Miami, FL · February 2025 · Human Rights Watch
Honduran woman with injured ankle waits a week for crutches in detentionA Honduran woman held at Krome was denied cleaning supplies and pain relief for menstrual cramps, then fell from her bunk after transfer and walked in pain for a week before getting crutches.Miami, FL · February 2025 · Human Rights Watch, Prison Legal News
Where people stood at the latest report
Each square is one percent of these stories. Read it with care: people who are still detained or already deported have far less access to reporters and lawyers than people who were released, so this mix reflects who gets covered more than how cases end.
- Died 11%
- Deported 11%
- Still detained 56%
- Released 17%
- Unknown 6%