Aggressive actions of ICE deepen cracks in US society
Shooting of mother, masked operations, violent clashes spark fierce debate
Detention centers expanded
The mass deportations have led to the rapid expansion of detention centers. The report by the American Immigration Council said that the number of people held in ICE detention rose nearly 75 percent in 2025, climbing from roughly 40,000 at the start of the year to 66,000 by the start of December, the highest level ever recorded.
About 100 new detention facilities were constructed in 2025, according to the report.
The first such tent detention center known as "Alligator Alcatraz" was opened in Florida. Built in one week, the center held individuals in chain-link cages in harsh conditions with "clouds of mosquitoes", overflowing toilets, and lights on 24 hours a day.
"For the first time ever, thousands of immigrants arrested in the interior are being detained in hastily constructed tent camps, where conditions are brutal. More people died in ICE detention in 2025 than in the last four years combined," said the report.
A total of 32 people died in ICE custody in 2025, a record since 2004. "Many of these deaths are linked to failure to provide adequate medical care," said the report. Some died by suicide.
With $45 billion allocated for detention operations, the report said that the detention system could more than triple in size over the next four years.
