In custody
Sexual abuse or harassment
Sexual assault, abuse, coercion, or harassment by staff or others while in custody.
Documented in 8 states. Every well-documented story coded this way, grouped by state. See what accompanies it →
California
Florida
Hawaii
Louisiana
- Nicaraguan woman sexually abused by guard at Louisiana ICE facilityA former contract officer at a Louisiana ICE facility pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a Nicaraguan woman detainee over several months, including smuggling her gifts and using other detainees as lookouts.Basile, LA · Jan 24, 2026 · The Advocate, Times Now News
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
Minnesota
New Jersey
Texas
Three-year-old girl separated at border, sexually abused in ORR foster homeA three-year-old girl was separated from her mother at the border and sexually abused in an ORR foster home in Texas. Her father, a legal permanent resident in Chicago, won her release two days after filing a federal petition.South Texas, TX · May 7, 2026 · Associated Press, NBC News, San Francisco Chronicle +4
At least three detainees died, measles spread at ICE's Camp East MontanaDetainees sued ICE over conditions at Camp East Montana, a Fort Bliss facility, citing at least three deaths, a monthlong measles outbreak, and claims of medical neglect and abuse.Fort Bliss, TX · Aug 2025 · The New Yorker, USA Today, Texas Tribune +2
Washington
Location not tied to one state
Wilmar Q.: Transgender asylum seeker sexually assaulted in Michigan detention, later deportedWilmar Quintero, a 50-year-old transgender asylum seeker from Venezuela, said she was sexually assaulted during three months in Michigan detention before being deported in April 2025, and now hides in fear.MI · Aug 20, 2026 · Seattle Times, Kitchen Table News, WKAR +1
18 Venezuelan men deported to El Salvador prison allege torture, beatingsEighteen Venezuelan men deported to El Salvador's Cecot prison in March 2025 filed a human rights petition alleging beatings, sexual assault and medical neglect before their July release.Jun 23, 2026 · The Guardian, Miami Herald, Vanguardia
Deported Venezuelans describe beatings in El Salvador's CECOT prisonSixteen former detainees of El Salvador's CECOT prison described beatings, isolation, and sexual assault inside the facility where the U.S. has deported migrants.Jul 31, 2025 · Washington Post, The Straits Times, ABC News
Marisol O.V.: Trans woman alleges medical neglect and assault during ICE detentionMarisol Ordonez Vargas, a transgender woman from Central America, says she was denied toilet paper and care for a broken nose during a month in ICE custody, and was sexually assaulted.Apr 30, 2025 · Them, Assigned Media, CourtListener +1- Father sent to Salvadoran prison, mother deported, daughter in U.S. foster careMaiker Alejandro Espinoza Escalona was held at Guantánamo Bay before being sent to a prison in El Salvador, while his partner was deported to Venezuela without their daughter. Their daughter remains in U.S. foster care after three placements.Mar 28, 2025 · Them, CourtListener, Tal Cual Digital +2
At least four women seeking entry sexually coerced by Border Patrol agentA Border Patrol agent pleaded guilty to telling at least four women to expose themselves during interviews in August 2023, falsely claiming it was a legitimate search. He faces up to two years in prison.Mar 10, 2025 · USA Today, WTOP, iNews Source +2