US citizen detained by ICE alleges being denied water for 24 hours

New reports in July–August 2025 describe people held in ICE custody across South Florida saying they went hours or days without water during intake and confinement, even as ICE rolled out updated 2025 detention standards that require safe drinking water at all times. Advocates say the cases include overnight deprivation and harsh intake in freezing cells. One claim circulating online states a U.S. citizen in ICE custody was “held without water for 24 hours.” The current public record shows closely related accounts this year but does not yet identify a named U.S. citizen matching that exact length; the pattern, however, tracks with recent, detailed allegations at local facilities.

Recent reporting and documented incidents

Human Rights Watch published a July 21 report on three South Florida sites—the Krome North Service Processing Center (Krome), Broward Transitional Center (BTC), and the Miami Federal Detention Center (FDC)—calling intake conditions “inhuman.” The group documented frigid, crowded cells where people said they spent days without bedding or proper clothing, women processed in a male facility without privacy, and repeated delays in medical care.

HRW also described a violent incident on April 15, 2025 at FDC Miami: staff used stun grenades against detainees protesting denial of food, water, and medical attention. As of late June, HRW said degraded, crowded conditions persisted at Krome and FDC.

The Los Angeles Times, reporting on July 23, relayed claims from FDC that detainees were held without food or water and forced to “eat like animals” because of shackling. One man said he was kept overnight in a poorly maintained exam room “without food or water” while coughing blood. At Krome, all eight people interviewed said they spent days in freezing “hielera” processing cells without bedding or warm clothing.

Politifact, in a July 16 analysis, pushed back on administration statements that ICE detention surpasses jail or prison standards. It summarized watchdog findings of:

• overcrowding
• inoperable toilets
• water running down cell block walls
• “insufficient access to water”

The analysis also noted a drop in outside oversight in March 2025 after an attempt to shut the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman (OIDO), which remains open but with fewer staff. It cited reports that about 60,000 people were in ICE custody—roughly 20,000 above levels funded by Congress.

New standards vs. reported practice

ICE issued revised National Detention Standards for 2025 (NDS 2025). Key water-related requirements include:

• Continuous access to safe drinking water at all times.
• Prompt notification to detainees and ICE/ERO if water is unsafe.
• Compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Public Notification Rule.
• Reporting any interruption in water service under incident-reporting procedures.
• Reporting staff-on-detainee misconduct and events that draw wide public attention.

On paper, these measures spell out clear duties. Watchdogs, however, question real-world follow-through amid crowding and staff shortages.

According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, the updated standards place a clear duty on facilities to ensure uninterrupted access to potable water and to alert people in custody when water safety rules are breached. That duty is central to the current debate because it creates a baseline that alleged denials can be measured against in South Florida facilities.

Allegations and verification

• The claim that a U.S. citizen in ICE custody was “held without water for 24 hours” closely mirrors this summer’s reports, including an overnight deprivation at FDC and the April 15 protest over denial of water.
• The July 21–23 materials do not identify a named U.S. citizen for a discrete 24-hour period. If a reader has a specific case citation, date, or docket, that would allow direct checking against facility logs, intake records, and incident reports.
• The broader point stands: multiple 2025 accounts describe people—some very likely with U.S. ties—saying they went without water during intake or confinement in South Florida.

FDC Miami began holding ICE detainees in late February 2025, and by late May roughly 400 ICE detainees were there, according to HRW. HRW’s report and the LA Times coverage present a consistent picture across Krome, BTC, and FDC: cold, crowded intake; lack of bedding and warm clothing; delayed or denied medical care; and reports of denial of water at intake or during confinement. Politifact’s roundup reinforces that the problem is not isolated, citing “insufficient access to water” among multiple facility failures.

Policy framework and oversight

NDS 2025 now guides many ICE sites, while others operate under a different rulebook used by ICE, but the thrust is the same on water: detainees must have safe, drinkable water at all times, and any threat to water safety or service must be reported and fixed. Facilities are told to warn detainees and ICE/ERO when water fails to meet federal or state standards and to issue notices consistent with EPA rules.

Oversight remains strained:

• The independent OIDO, created by Congress in 2020, was targeted for closure in March 2025 and continues with fewer staff.
• Advocates say reduced oversight makes it harder to catch and correct basic-needs failures like water access.
• The American Immigration Council noted on July 15 that a new law (H.R. 1) is boosting detention funding and targets at the same time facilities showed crowding and even food shortages in early 2025.
• Florida’s rapid build of the Everglades detention camp and expanded 287(g) agreements increase pressure on beds, staffing, and health and safety.

Key takeaway: NDS 2025 creates enforceable expectations on safe water access, but capacity and oversight gaps raise doubts about consistent compliance.

What people in custody and families can do now

1. File a written grievance in the facility and keep a copy. Cite NDS 2025 water provisions and ask that your complaint be placed in the detainee file.
2. Through counsel, alert the local ICE ERO Field Office Director and ask the facility to preserve video, shift logs, and water service records for the dates in question.
3. Submit a complaint to the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman (note current staffing limits).
4. File a civil rights complaint with DHS’s Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, which accepts complaints online: https://www.dhs.gov/crcl.
5. Seek medical care and request records that document dehydration or related harm. Keep names of staff, times, and witness contacts.

Additional practical tips and advocacy steps:

• Contact trusted legal aid groups and reporters who are tracking conditions at Krome, BTC, and FDC Miami.
• Provide clear timelines, symptoms, and photos of intake areas to help establish whether water was available and safe.
• Preserve any physical or digital evidence (written requests for water, photos of intake areas, screenshots of messages).

What to watch next

• Whether DHS or ICE open formal inquiries into the South Florida allegations, including the April 15 use of force at FDC Miami, under the NDS 2025 reporting rules on water and staff conduct.
• Any statement from the local ERO field office on steps to ensure water access during intake at Krome and FDC, where “hielera” conditions were widely reported.
• Congressional scrutiny of detention conditions as H.R. 1 expansion moves forward, with the American Immigration Council warning that crowding and food or water lapses may grow without stronger oversight.

Conclusion

In South Florida, the stakes are clear. People in ICE custody—some long-time residents, some asylum seekers, and at times even U.S. citizens wrongly detained—depend on the system to meet basic needs. The 2025 standards say water must be safe and always available. The practical test now is whether facilities can meet that duty every day, not just on paper.