Brazilian woman describes 'psychological torture' after 15 months in ICE detention, deportation to Liberia
Aug 1, 2026
Country of origin: Brazil
Paola Dos Santos, a 21-year-old Brazilian national, was detained for 15 months across two U.S. immigration facilities before being deported to Liberia. She said detainees, including pregnant women, were routinely denied medical care, and described witnessing a woman who pleaded for information about her separated son having her hands and ankles bound, saying "they tied her like she was cattle." Dos Santos said she and other detainees suffered psychological torture while in ICE custody, including being held for days without beds in a frigid room detainees called "the freezer."
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