ICE Detention Centers: Out of the Headlines, Not Out of Harm

Isabella Burgos

An industrial warehouse recently purchased by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for use as a detention center is seen on February 10, 2026 in Social Circle, Georgia. Local officials have expressed frustration over the planned ICE detention facility.

A year ago, immigration detention centers dominated national headlines. Images of overcrowded facilities and reports of harsh conditions sparked public outrage and political debate. Today, those headlines have largely disappeared...yet the reality inside these facilities has not. Often the media will focus on a singular topic temporarily, driven by online trends and algorithms, but as public attention fades, so does the voices of those affected. Silence can create an illusion of progress even when conditions remain unchanged.

Public attention may have faded, but the humanitarian concerns surrounding immigration detention remain unresolved—and in many ways, more troubling because they are now largely ignored. When these issues lack visibility and sustained scrutiny from the public, this absence reduces opportunities for accountability, and policymakers face less pressure to address the issue.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has gone under rapid expansion as facilities from Utah to Georgia have been bought and repurposed to be used as ICE detention centers. This growth means detention centers are being built quickly, without meaningful public oversight or transparency. In Salt Lake City, a warehouse was recently purchased to house detainees, which has caused significant backlash from its residents. The city’s mayor, Erin Mendenhall, stated, “The mass detention of people inside a warehouse is inhumane and is contradictory to the function, values, and desires of Salt Lakers, and I will use every tool at the City’s disposal to stop it.” This response not only demonstrates the expansion of Immigration and Customs Enforcement but also the ability of the agency to operate without public accountability. Without attention or oversight, it is difficult to monitor and stop. This expansion has created concern not only in local communities but also in cities around the country.

A major concern of immigration advocates is the lack of information available regarding what occurs within ICE detention centers. While media coverage and public attention disappear, and headlines shift elsewhere, detention centers continue to operate largely out of sight. Reports and investigations have consistently revealed inhumane conditions within these facilities, including overcrowding, lack of medical care, and unsanitary environments.

In recent reporting by The New York Times, detainees described conditions that were “degrading and inhumane” inside ICE detention camps, exposing the daily realities many face. Conditions described included individuals being forced to strip, sharing bunks with dozens of others, and living in spaces with constant fluorescent lighting and little to no access to fresh air. Other accounts include rats and insects in living areas, a lack of basic hygiene products for women, including items needed for menstruation, and no access to showers.

Detainees have also reported being forced to use the bathroom in front of others, experiencing insufficient food leading to extreme weight loss, and being transferred across states without notice, making it harder to contact family or legal support. These accounts, along with prolonged detention without resolution, highlight the widespread suffering of those currently living inside ICE facilities.

As the UN rights chief stated, he was “astounded by the now-routine abuse and denigration of migrants and refugees,” emphasizing that these abuses are not isolated incidents, but systemic issues recognized internationally.

We often hear the saying “out of sight, out of mind.” But can this be true when human beings are subject to disgraceful inhuman conditions, reduced to criminals or treated as animals while confined within the borders of our country? The absence of headlines does not erase the realities of their suffering. While many may keep these facts out of mind, their impact has remained in the minds of hundreds of affected family members and victims.

As media coverage for these facilities is reduced, individuals in detention become politically and socially invisible. To address both humanitarian concerns and the lack of transparency, policymakers should pursue several reforms.

It is necessary for citizens to remain informed and advocate for increased transparency and oversight for these detention centers, which often continue to operate without sufficient public support or accountability. By raising public awareness, we can not only renew urgency for policy change but also demand answers for the families of those who have gone missing for extended periods without warning or communication.

Additionally, government funding should focus not on expansion, but instead on alternatives to detention, such as community supervision and legal citizenship pathway programs that allow migrants to remain in their communities while their immigration cases proceed, with the possibility of citizenship if they demonstrate compliance and have no criminal record. These alternatives are less costly and reduce humanitarian concerns.

Policymakers should also improve access to legal representation. Many detained migrants lack legal counsel, which can prolong detention and complicate proceedings. Individuals without legal representation are more likely to be deported. Expanding access to legal aid could make the immigration process more efficient and fair, helping to ensure greater accountability and protect basic legal and humanitarian standards.

The absence of headlines does not mean the problem has been resolved. If democratic societies rely on public scrutiny to protect rights and accountability, then the real challenge is not only addressing detention conditions but refusing to let them disappear from public view.