All articles tagged with #ice detention
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation imposing a 25% tax on private detention centers and closing a property tax loophole for charitable exemptions. The measures target federal immigration enforcement infrastructure, with financial analysts expecting a federal legal challenge.
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review the legality of the Trump administration’s policy denying bond hearings to immigrants detained by ICE. This move follows a wave of lower court rulings that largely rejected the administration’s interpretation of immigration law, which mandates detention for individuals without criminal records or flight risks. The case, centered on a Brazilian citizen detained in New York, tests whether the 1996 immigration statute applies to those far from the border. With the new term beginning next week, the decision is expected to be among the most consequential of the year, potentially reshaping detention practices for tens of thousands of individuals.
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case challenging the Trump administration's policy of indefinitely detaining immigrants facing deportation without bond hearings. The case, centered on a Brazilian citizen detained in Massachusetts, tests whether the government can apply a 1996 law to individuals far from the border. Lower courts have largely rejected the policy, with nine of eleven federal circuits ruling against the administration's interpretation. A ruling is expected by June 2026.
British right-wing commentator Milo Yiannopoulos appears in ICE’s inmate registry and is reportedly held in Louisiana; the circumstances of his detention are unclear, with no comments from ICE or Yiannopoulos. The figure once backed Trump but has since criticized him, and remains a controversial public provocateur known for inflammatory remarks.
San Diego Padres minor-league catching coordinator Oswaldo Pirela was detained by ICE in El Paso, Texas, while traveling for work. His sister says he sought asylum in 2014, and the family is seeking due process and his release as MLB and ICE issued no immediate comment.
A Guatemalan immigrant held at Newark's Delaney Hall ICE facility experienced seizure-like activity on July 19 and was hospitalized; he was released from custody on July 22, though the DHS did not specify when he died. Rights groups have long raised concerns about medical care and conditions in ICE detention, and more than 50 detainees have died in ICE custody since President Trump took office.
Debora Kapisha, a medical-surgical nurse at Maine Medical Center who works with dialysis patients and is originally from Zambia, was detained by ICE at Boston’s Logan Airport while her asylum case remains pending. After a week of rallies and support from nurses, hospital colleagues, and advocates, she was released and reunited with her family. The union and employer say she has been living and working legally in the U.S. during her asylum proceedings, highlighting how immigration enforcement can impact healthcare workers and hospital staffing amid a broader enforcement surge.
A Guardian-verified ICE Health Service Corps document shows forcible medical treatment (feeding, hydration, or related procedures) was used on a hunger striker in detention, with more detainees on strike reported and budget figures for external medical care in 2026; advocates say such practices amount to torture and raise due process concerns, while DHS maintains detainees get three meals a day and notes that forced treatment requires court orders.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a district court’s order releasing Mohsen Mahdawi from ICE detention, ruling jurisdiction lies with immigration court and directing dismissal of his lawsuit challenging detention; Mahdawi has argued the detention infringes free-speech protections.
UN High Commissioner Volker Türk urged urgent, independent investigations into all deaths in U.S. ICE custody and stressed accountability and support for victims’ families amid a rising death toll, with 18 deaths in the first five months of this year and another this month (33 in 2025 vs. 11 in 2024). He highlighted overcrowded facilities, poor healthcare, disease risks, and reports of force, noting five suicides in 2026. Türk called for alternatives to detention, especially for medically vulnerable individuals and children, and for detention to be a last resort, with full compliance with international human rights norms and strengthened independent oversight and congressional scrutiny of funding.
Eight Texas activists were handed 50- to 100-year federal sentences for a July 4 protest at an ICE facility, with a ninth defendant receiving 30 years for moving boxes after a court phone call. Critics say the punishments are unreasonably harsh and show an overbroad use of terrorism charges to curb dissent, while prosecutors argue the sentences deter violence and reflect the seriousness of the offenses. Sentencing included unusually stacked terms, and experts note a possible terrorism enhancement. The defendants plan appeals as the government defends the rulings.
A GAO report on Camp East Montana—the largest ICE detention facility—finds a rushed, poorly managed project that wasted millions and endangered detainees: a contractor with no detention experience was chosen for a $1.3 billion deal after Army delays, leading to millions in waste for guards, medical services, transport and meals before detainees arrived, and ongoing costs paid even as detainee counts fluctuated far below maximum. The facility failed ICE detention standards, with missing perimeter cameras, accessibility gaps, inadequate recreation and legal resources, and sanitation/health shortcomings. Investigations into detainee deaths were hampered by missing evidence, while officials warn of broader systemic mismanagement and call for reform; Sen. Durbin called the findings damning.
The White House says President Trump is in excellent health after a routine medical check, though doctors urge weight loss; separately, a federal judge has reopened Trump’s $1.8 billion settlement-related IRS case amid claims of collusion and a lack of detail. A class-action suit accuses ICE of dire detention conditions at a Texas facility, while Trump promotes a new “America Is Back” rally after several artists pulled out of concerts. The day’s coverage also includes broader political analysis and related updates.
Violence and a hunger strike erupted at Delaney Hall, a large federal ICE detention center in Newark run by GEO Group, as detainees protest living conditions. Gov. Sherrill and several lawmakers were denied entry, and clashes outside with ICE officers led to arrests. Newark has sued GEO Group over permits and inspections, while DHS defends detainee care and portrays them as dangerous criminals; critics say many detainees lack criminal charges and conditions are poor, fueling ongoing calls to shut down the facility.
Two Congolese teens, Israel (18) and Max (15), detained by ICE for visa status violations after transferring schools in Mississippi, were released and returned to their host family in Diamondhead following intervention by U.S. Senators Cindy Hyde-Smith and Roger Wicker. They will pursue reinstating their student status and continue their immigration case, but deportation remains a possibility and legal aid plus community support continues to back their fight.