Asylum-seekers detained in San Diego courthouse basement for days without proper care
Oct 9, 2025·Location: San Diego, CA

ICE detained numerous asylum-seekers and migrants at the San Diego federal courthouse basement between October 9-21, 2025, after summoning them for routine check-ins. Detainees reported being held in crowded cells for up to four days in conditions they described as inadequate, including limited bedding (yoga mat-like mattresses), no privacy for bathroom use, cold temperatures, fluorescent lights kept on all night, inedible food, and lack of medical attention. Families were denied proper goodbyes, and detainees were not searchable in ICE's locator system. Some were subsequently deported or transferred to other detention facilities without proper legal proceedings.
Sources
- Asylum-seekers now held for days – in a downtown San Diego basement
timesofsandiego.com·Oct 21, 2025·archived copy
- San Diego congressmen say Trump admin denied them access to courthouse ICE detention
nbcsandiego.com·Oct 20, 2025·archived copy
- Congressional members denied access to federal courthouse basement amid detention concerns
10news.com·Oct 20, 2025·archived copy
- Asylum-seekers held for days – in an office basement in downtown San Diego - Stocktonia News
stocktonia.org·Oct 25, 2025·archived copy
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