The Human Rights Crisis Inside ICE Detention Centers—Congress Must Act

Inhumane Conditions in ICE Detention Centers Demand Immediate Action I am writing to express my alarm at the horrific conditions in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers, as exposed in the recent WIRED investigation, “They’re Not Breathing: Inside the Chaos of ICE Detention Center 911 Calls.” Emergency Medical Failures and Systemic Abuse According to the report, just ten ICE detention centers generated nearly 400 emergency 911 calls in the first few months of 2025 alone. These emergencies included over 50 cardiac incidents, 26 seizures, 17 head injuries, and six reports of sexual assault—including assaults by staff members. Pregnancy-related medical crises occurred in more than half of these facilities. These are not isolated incidents but indicators of deep systemic failure. ICE has slashed internal oversight, eliminated inspections, and outsourced operations to private prison contractors whose records are littered with deaths, medical neglect, and abuse. Violation of Human Rights and Lack of Oversight Detainees—many of whom have no criminal record—are being denied clean water, adequate medical care, and basic human dignity. A 68-year-old man died in ICE custody during transport in Georgia with no proper medical response. At the Krome facility in Miami, deaths have mounted amid overcrowding and neglect. Congress Must Respond with Oversight and Legislation I urge you to take the following immediate actions: • Launch a full congressional investigation into the dangerous and abusive conditions in ICE facilities. • Hold public oversight hearings to examine the failures of ICE leadership and private contractors, and to listen to testimony from impacted detainees, whistleblowers, and medical experts. • Introduce and support legislation to restore mandatory inspections, impose enforceable standards for medical care and humane treatment, ban abusive private contractors where appropriate, and ensure detainees can report abuse without retaliation. This Is a Human Rights Crisis on U.S. Soil This is not a broken system—it is a system functioning exactly as it was designed when transparency and accountability were stripped away. Congress has both the power and the moral responsibility to act. Please do not look away.