Already, 11 immigrants have died in ICE custody since Trump took office, and a serious tuberculosis outbreak in ICE prisons could make the situation much worse.
People are being forced to share one toilet with 35–40 other detainees and eat worm-infested food. Sewage is regularly backing up into cells, and detainees are often only allowed to take a shower once a week.1,2
These are the exact conditions that can trigger deadly outbreaks of a disease like tuberculosis, and two people have already died in ICE custody after testing positive.3
Now ICE has announced plans to build 125 new detention facilities that could be even worse. We're demanding an investigation into these deaths before any more horrific ICE hellholes are put into operation.4
Since Trump took office, more people have died in ICE custody than in all of 2021, 2022, or 2023. At the current rate, this will be the second most deadly year for ICE detainees in the history of the agency. Only 2020 was worse, because of the early peaks of the COVID-19 pandemic.5
These deaths are the direct result of the inhumane, unsanitary conditions that Trump and his ICE underlings are intentionally inflicting on those caught up in his mass deportation dragnet.
For instance, at the notorious Alligator Alcatraz jail – which is more accurately described as a tent camp – immigrants are suffering through 100-degree heat, nonstop swarms of mosquitos, and regular flooding.6
Most of those snatched up by ICE don't even have a criminal record. Some are legal U.S. residents or even U.S. citizens, and almost none of them have been allowed to speak with a lawyer or appear before a judge.7,8
Sources:
1. The New York Times, "Concerns Grow Over Dire Conditions in Immigrant Detention," July 1, 2025.
2. Source NM, "Sewage flooding cells inside Torrance County ICE prison again, advocates say," May 2, 2025.
3. The American Prospect, "Tuberculosis Spawning in Crowded, Dirty ICE Detention Centers," August 18, 2025.
4. The Washington Post, "ICE documents reveal plan to double immigrant detention space this year," August 15, 2025.
5. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, "Detainee Death Reporting," July 24, 2025.
6. Yale Climate Connections, "'Alligator Alcatraz' is harsh. Climate change is making it even harsher.," July 23, 2025.
7. Fortune, "Trump says he wants to deport 'the worst of the worst,' but ICE data shows 72% of people detained have no criminal convictions," July 12, 2025.
8. PBS News, "'Alligator Alcatraz' detainees held without charges, barred from legal access, attorneys say," July 28, 2025.
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