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A new report by Human Rights Watch, in collaboration with Americans for Immigrant Justice and Sanctuary of the South, has exposed widespread abuse and neglect in three immigration detention facilities in Florida: the Krome North Service Processing Center, Broward Transitional Center, and the Federal Detention Center in Miami.
The 92-page investigation, titled “You Feel Like Your Life Is Over”, documents overcrowding, denial of medical care, and degrading treatment, with at least two deaths potentially linked to medical neglect. Detainees reported being held in freezing, overcrowded cells, shackled for prolonged periods, and denied access to hygiene and basic healthcare.
Key findings include:
- Women detained in male-only facilities, denied showers and privacy
- Delayed emergency responses, including the death of Marie Ange Blaise, a Haitian woman at Broward
- Punitive solitary confinement for those seeking mental health support
- Forced feeding while shackled, described by one detainee as “eating like dogs”
Since President Donald Trump took office in January 2025, immigration detention has surged, with 45 of 181 ICE facilities exceeding capacity by mid-April. The report attributes these abuses to a systemically broken detention system, exacerbated by rapid enforcement expansion and inadequate oversight.
Human Rights Watch and its partners are calling for:
- Independent oversight of detention centers
- Community-based alternatives to detention
- Immediate reforms to ensure humane treatment and access to medical care
Belkis Wille, HRW’s Associate Director for Crisis and Conflict, stated:
“People in immigration detention are being treated as less than human. These are not isolated incidents—they reflect a fundamentally broken system.”
You can read the full report on Human Rights Watch’s website.
