Migrants locked up alone for 38 consecutive days on average: ICE increasingly uses isolation as punishment

The use of isolation in detention centers is on the rise under the second Trump administration. According to a report published by the nonprofit organization Physicians for Human Rights, thousands of immigrants have been placed in solitary confinement since the Biden administration took office in 2021, and in recent months the practice has multiplied, despite the risks to the mental health of detainees. It was also found that during the first three months of 2025, vulnerable individuals were held in isolation for periods of more than twice as long as when ICE first began publishing statistics: 38 consecutive days in early 2025 compared to 14 days in late 2021. The agency defines as “vulnerable” those who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or elderly; who suffer from serious mental disorders or illnesses; who are at risk of harm due to their identity; or who are victims of sexual assault or abuse.

Solitary confinement is the practice of placing a person in a small cell without meaningful human contact for 22 hours or more per day. ICE maintains that it does not use solitary confinement in its detention centers, but reports the number of people it keeps in “segregation.”

In detention centers, the agency avoids using the term “solitary confinement” and instead uses euphemisms such as “segregation,” “segregated housing,” or “Special Management Units.” The study says that immigrants locked in such cells had been placed in “administrative segregation.”

According to the report, in 14 months from April 2024 to May 2025, more than 10,500 people were placed in solitary confinement in detention centers across the country. Similarly, in the first four months of Trump’s second term, the monthly increase in the use of isolation was more than six times higher than at the end of the previous administration.

The report also cites a study that found that solitary confinement in immigration detention has grown at an “alarming rate,” with an unprecedented number of immigrants being held in isolation. It also suggests that, due to the recent increase in funding approved by Congress to expand immigration detention centers, the widespread and prolonged use of solitary confinement is likely to worsen.

The UN considers solitary confinement of 15 days or more to be torture. Dr. Katherine Peeler, co-author of the study, said in a statement: “During the final months of the Biden administration and amid the Trump administration’s escalating attacks on immigrants, ICE’s own records show that the agency has subjected people to these torturous conditions — which cause devastating physical and psychological health harms.” According to experts, prolonged isolation can cause paranoia, post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression, all of which can lead to suicide.

The White House response

The government denies an increase in the use of isolation for migrants detained by ICE. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told McClatchy News in an email that ICE facilities have “the highest standards.” “They are safe, clean, and hold illegal aliens who are awaiting final removal proceedings.” Deputy Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs for the Department of Homeland Security, Tricia McLaughlin, wrote the same media outlet that “any allegation that ICE is ‘weaponizing’ solitary confinement against illegal aliens is DISGUSTING and FALSE.” “These types of smears peddled by the media are leading to a 1000 percent increase in assault against our brave law enforcement,” she said without offering evidence. “Ensuring the safety, security, and well-being of individuals in our custody is a top priority at ICE,” she added.

In another statement, McLaughlin assured that ICE prioritizes the safety of individuals in custody and that detainees are placed in disciplinary segregation ”only after they are found guilty by a disciplinary hearing panel.” She also said that any detainee scheduled for removal, release, or transfer will be placed in administrative isolation for 24 hours. ICE’s National Detention Standards state that “such isolation may be ordered for security reasons or for the orderly operation of the facility.”

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAÍS USA Edition