Florida Immigration Detention Population Surges Under Trump
X/ @MassiPaciugo
July 21, 2025 Hour: 10:12 am
Human rights defenders denounced overcrowding, abuses, and the deaths of two individuals in custody.
On Monday, Americans for Immigrant Justice, Sanctuary of the South (SOS), and Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report showing that the number of migrants held in Florida detention centers has increased by 111% following Donald Trump’s return to the White House. The report highlights overcrowding, abuses, and the deaths of two individuals in custody.
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The increase is driven by the detention of 2,524 migrants in three main facilities: the Krome Processing Center, the Miami Federal Detention Center (FDC), and the Broward Transitional Center, according to the latest data from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The investigation was conducted prior to the July 3 opening of “Alligator Alcatraz,” a facility expected to house between 3,000 and 4,000 migrants, according to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Last week, SOS filed a federal lawsuit against Alligator Alcatraz, claiming the detention center violates the U.S. Constitution—specifically, the First Amendment rights to legal defense and free speech, and the Fifth Amendment right to due process.
“Human beings are suffering in this center and are being denied all access to legal counsel. It is urgent that the court act immediately to prevent the federal government and the state of Florida from trampling on rights guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution,” SOS said.
Allegations of Migrant Abuse in Florida
The report highlights “abuse toward immigrants in detention facilities in Florida,” noting that more than 56,000 migrants were detained nationwide as of June—an increase of 40% year-over-year and the highest number in U.S. history.
Based on official data and interviews with 17 detainees, the investigation concludes that migrants in Florida face “inhumane conditions, including denial of medical care, overcrowding, and degrading treatment.” The report also notes two recent deaths potentially linked to “medical negligence.”
“People in immigration detention are treated as less than human. These are not isolated incidents, but the result of a fundamentally broken detention system plagued by serious abuses,” said Belkis Wille, associate director for crisis and conflict at HRW.
The population at the Krome center tripled during the first three months of 2025, reaching nearly three times its operational capacity. Meanwhile, the Miami FDC began receiving hundreds of migrants in February after years without being used for immigration detention.
These conditions violate international law and even the standards set by the federal government and ICE, which require humane treatment, access to medical care, and protection from abuse.
“Mothers, fathers, siblings, children, and close friends of U.S. citizens are being torn from their homes and communities, only to disappear into a detention system that is profoundly harmful and dehumanizing,” said Denise Noonan Slavin, senior adviser to the executive director of Americans for Immigrant Justice.
teleSUR/ JF
Sources: EFE – SOS – HRW