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Disturbing accounts from immigrant women detained at the Krome North Processing Center in Miami have surfaced, alleging inhumane treatment.
The claims further raise serious concerns about conditions within the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities. The allegations, made by women held on alleged immigration violations, include reports of severe overcrowding, inadequate sanitation, and a disregard for basic human dignity. The women describe being crammed into small holding cells with dozens of others, forced to sleep on concrete floors with limited access to showers and clean water.
One detainee likenes the degrading conditions to those "worse than animals." Further allegations detail harrowing experiences during transportation to the facility, including extended shackling on prison buses without access to food, water, or restroom facilities. Guards allegedly instructed detainees to urinate on the floor, exacerbating unsanitary conditions. These allegations emerge as ICE faces increased pressure to expand its detention capacity under the Trump administration's immigration enforcement policies.
In mid-March, the agency reported holding over 46,000 people, exceeding its capacity of 41,500 beds and leading to overcrowding and strained resources nationwide. Critics contend that the government's focus on detaining and deporting immigrants, even those without criminal records, places an unsustainable burden on the immigration detention system. Reports of understaffing and overwhelmed guards at Krome suggest the system is struggling to cope with the influx of detainees.
Concerns have also been raised about potential reductions in detention standards, which could allow local law enforcement agencies to detain immigrants using less rigorous state guidelines. Critics warn that such a move could further erode the rights and protections of detained immigrants, potentially leading to more instances of mistreatment and abuse.