Immigrants Abused in Florida Detention Sites

A recent report by Americans for Immigrant Justice, Human Rights Watch, and Sanctuary of the South denounces inhumane conditions in three migrant detention centers in Florida: Krome, BTC, and FDC. Detainees are subjected to overcrowding, lack of medical care, degrading treatment, and, in some cases, potentially deadly conditions. At least two recent deaths may be linked to medical negligence.

The report, based on interviews with 17 migrants, reveals abuses such as:

• Confinement in cold, unsanitary cells.

• Women held in male facilities without privacy or proper hygiene products.

• Denial of medical care for chronic conditions.

• Solitary confinement used as punishment for requesting mental health support.

• Physical abuse and humiliations, such as forcing detainees to eat while handcuffed behind their backs.

Florida’s detained migrant population has surged due to anti-immigrant policies under the Trump administration. At Krome, the detained population tripled within months.

The organizations call on the U.S. government to:

• End the widespread use of immigration detention.

• Implement community-based alternatives.

• Ensure proper medical and mental health care.

• Establish independent oversight of detention centers.

The report concludes that the U.S. immigration detention system is structurally flawed and violates fundamental human rights.