1. United States
2. Wisc.
3. Letter

As a therapist and as a fellow person, I am urging the immediate closure of ICE detention facilities across the United States. What is happening inside these centers cannot be justified—these are places marked by isolation, neglect, and inhumane treatment. The conditions are not simply “detention.” They are environments that strip people of dignity, safety, and hope. I ask you to pause and imagine: what if it were your spouse, your parent, your child—confined in a cold cell, separated from family, uncertain if they will ever feel free or safe again? What if the person enduring that fear and trauma bore your last name, spoke your language, or held your hand at night? Would we still call this justice, or would we call it cruelty? As someone trained to understand trauma, I can tell you that the psychological impact of detention is profound and lasting. People subjected to constant surveillance, deprivation, and uncertainty experience chronic stress, anxiety, depression, and complex trauma. The human nervous system cannot distinguish between a detention cell and a cage—it reacts with fear, despair, and shutdown. These are not “facilities.” They are trauma incubators. We must remember: people are people—not “illegals,” not “cases,” not “detainees.” Every person deserves the basic right to safety, compassion, and dignity. The existence of these facilities tells us more about our failure to see one another’s humanity than about any immigration policy. Closing ICE detention centers is not just a political stance—it is a moral and psychological imperative. Healing begins when we choose care over punishment, connection over control, and empathy over fear.