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Detainees describe worsening conditions at Miami federal prison holding ICE detainees

May 1, 2025

Detainees describe worsening conditions at Miami federal prison holding ICE detainees
Photo via The Guardian

The Trump administration has expanded immigration detention by moving hundreds of immigrants to federal prisons run by the Bureau of Prisons, including facilities in Atlanta, Miami, Philadelphia, Berlin, and Leavenworth, where detainees report moldy food, overcrowding, denial of legal access, and being cut off from attorneys and families. At Miami's Federal Detention Center, detainees, their lawyers and relatives describe cockroach infestations, broken toilets overflowing with waste, extreme heat, and medical complaints being ignored, conditions corroborated by a prison employee. ICE data show an average daily population of 460 at the Miami facility as of early April, with numbers rising after detainees were relocated there following fires near the Krome detention center. The Bureau of Prisons said it was addressing air conditioning issues, while families say many detainees had already completed sentences for past convictions before entering immigration custody.

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