Solitary Confinement in ICE Detention Grows, Researchers Warn

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– ICE Detention Management (uscis_resource, mentioned 1 time)

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(SAN DIEGO) Solitary confinement inside ICE detention has reached record highs in 2025, with new federal data and disclosures showing thousands of people locked alone for days or weeks at a time, including those with serious mental illness, LGBTQ+ people, hunger strikers, and individuals placed on suicide watch. Researchers and legal groups say the practice is growing despite updated federal guidelines, and members of Congress are again pressing for reform. Advocates warn that the spike in isolation raises urgent health and human rights concerns for immigrants held across the United States 🇺🇸, and they say the latest numbers point to a system that is expanding without enough oversight.

Between April 2024 and February 2025, ICE used solitary confinement on more than 7,000 individuals, the highest annual figure in the past decade. At the Otay Mesa Detention Center on the edge of San Diego, officials isolated 42 immigrants in August 2025—an eightfold jump over August 2024. National totals show ICE detained over 37,000 people in 2024, up by nearly 23,000 compared with the start of the Biden administration. At least 3,000 people were placed in solitary in 2023 alone, and experts expect higher totals in the months ahead as detention expands under President Trump, who has signaled tougher enforcement and lower standards for conditions in custody.

Human rights organizations, medical leaders, and immigration attorneys say these record highs reflect a pattern: even as policies add new safeguards on paper, use of isolation keeps climbing, and the time people spend locked alone keeps stretching. A February 2024 report from Physicians for Human Rights, Harvard Law School, and Harvard Medical School found that ICE facilities routinely violate agency directives and international law when they rely on solitary confinement, with severe mental and physical harm reported by those held in isolation. That finding matches what detention monitors have documented for years: sharp deterioration in mental health, increased self-harm, and lasting trauma, especially among people already at risk.

The surge is most stark for what ICE calls “vulnerable and special populations.” According to advocacy groups tracking facility logs and federal disclosures, ICE’s use of solitary for these groups jumped by about 50% since March 2023, and the average length of time in isolation for these individuals has more than doubled in the past year. Many in this category live with serious mental illness, chronic medical conditions, or heightened safety risks due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. Some are on suicide watch. Others joined hunger strikes to protest conditions. For them, isolation can cause rapid decline—sleep loss, panic, hallucinations, and thoughts of self-harm. The longer the stay, the deeper the damage.

Lawyers who represent detained immigrants described a common cycle: a person reports a mental health crisis, alleges a sexual assault, joins a protest, or has a conflict with another detainee; staff then move that person to restrictive housing “for safety.” The person ends up locked in a small cell for up to 23 hours a day, with limited access to mental health care and few options to challenge the placement in real time. Medical standards require close monitoring, but attorneys say records often show late or brief checks and vague notes. The lack of clear timelines or a meaningful review process can keep people there for long stretches.

ACLU senior staff attorney Eunice Cho said the public is seeing more of how solitary confinement is used only because federal litigation forced ICE to share its rules. “ICE has largely hidden its use of solitary confinement to abuse people held in immigration detention, and our FOIA findings provide much needed disclosure regarding the standards and requirements for using solitary confinement units,” she said. According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, the lawsuit’s disclosures confirm what advocates reported on the ground for years: wide gaps between policy language and daily practice inside facilities, with weak oversight that allows isolation to function as a catch-all tool for control.

The current numbers land amid a broad shift in federal detention. During 2024, ICE grew its detained population even as the agency issued updated rules meant to limit isolation. Advocates say the two trends are connected: when detention expands rapidly, facilities fall back on solitary confinement to manage crowding, medical needs, hunger strikes, and people flagged as “protective custody,” even when the person being isolated has not broken any rule. The growth also follows years of rising placements: Solitary Watch has documented more than 20,000 placements in ICE isolation between 2017 and 2023, with the rate climbing steadily since 2017.

Officials with ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) have maintained that restrictive housing is used for safety and order, and that it remains a last resort. Agency leaders point to a December 2024 policy directive that created new steps before placement and more documentation after the decision is made. Yet community groups say that without real-time transparency, independent oversight, and strong consequences for violations, facilities continue to rely on isolation in ways that break those very rules.

Policy Shifts and Oversight Moves

In December 2024, ICE published updated guidance laying out how solitary confinement should be used. The directive requires an individualized assessment of medical and mental health needs before any placement. It states clearly that isolation must be a last resort, with special care for pregnant people. It also directs facilities to try to place those with serious illnesses in treatment settings rather than solitary units. And it requires documentation that explains why the person is being isolated; this write-up must be provided in a way the person can understand and entered into an ICE database for oversight and tracking.

The new rules also call for daily health checks and regular documentation by qualified staff. In practice, that should mean a medical or mental health professional sees the person each day, records symptoms and risk factors, and reassesses the need for isolation on a set schedule. Facilities must keep records that can be reviewed by ICE headquarters and external monitors. The agency says the policy is designed to reduce harm and narrow use of isolation to exceptional cases.

Transparency has been a sticking point. In January 2025, ACLU litigation under the Freedom of Information Act forced ICE to release internal details about its solitary confinement policy. According to the ACLU and other groups that reviewed the files, the disclosures confirmed the standards above but also showed how much had been hidden from the public. The files outlined reporting duties that had not been widely shared and revealed gaps in implementation across facilities. Nearly 50 members of Congress followed with a letter to the Department of Homeland Security in April 2024, pressing for stronger oversight and reforms to ensure that the policy’s protections are carried out rather than ignored.

As scrutiny grew, reform proposals took shape on Capitol Hill. The Restricting Solitary Confinement in Immigration Detention Act (S.4119, 2024) would limit or end the practice in many cases, with particular protections for people with mental illness, LGBTQ+ individuals, and those with medical conditions. Legal and medical groups also issued specific recommendations:

• An immediate commitment to end solitary in ICE detention
• A presumption of release for vulnerable people
• Mandatory reporting within 24–72 hours when isolation occurs
• Routine sharing of deidentified data every two weeks
• Performance-based contracts that penalize violations
• Independent audits that are published in full

According to immigration lawyers who monitor conditions, these proposals focus on the system’s pressure points: admissions decisions, medical triage, and the lack of fast, independent review when staff place someone in isolation. Without changes in those areas, they say, even the best-written rules will not move the practice away from record highs.

For people looking for the government’s current standards and facility oversight structure, the official ICE Detention Management page outlines agency roles, contracts, and inspection processes. The site offers policy documents, inspection reports, and information about ERO operations that oversee detention and restrictive housing decisions.

Impact Inside Detention and on Communities

The sharp rise in solitary confinement use shows up in daily life inside facilities. People described spending nearly all day alone in small, often brightly lit cells. In some units, lights stay on overnight. Meals arrive through a slot. Recreation can be a short period alone in a caged yard. Phone time may be limited, and legal calls can be hard to arrange on short notice. For those with anxiety, PTSD, or a history of trauma, these conditions can trigger severe reactions within days.

Medical and legal groups say the effects are clear. Solitary confinement can cause intense stress, depression, and thoughts of self-harm. It can also lead to physical problems—headaches, chest pain, and trouble sleeping. For people on suicide watch, isolation can make risk worse rather than better. For LGBTQ+ people held for “protective” reasons, isolation can mean safety from others but harm from the isolation itself. For people with serious mental illness, even short stays can cause lasting setbacks.

Families see the toll too. Relatives report sudden changes in mood, trouble tracking time, and fear of retaliation for speaking up. Some families only learn about isolation after calls stop. Attorneys say that when clients are moved to solitary units, legal preparation suffers: documents are harder to exchange, visits can be delayed, and the client’s mental state may undermine the ability to testify or make complex choices about their case. In removal proceedings, where timing and evidence matter, those delays can change outcomes.

The numbers suggest systemic drivers, not just isolated cases. With over 37,000 people detained in 2024 and a stated plan to expand detention under President Trump, facilities may face staffing and space limits that push them toward isolation. During the COVID-19 period, officials often used solitary to separate people with symptoms, a pattern that medical experts criticized as harmful and ineffective. Although pandemic protocols have eased, the habit of using isolation for medical or administrative reasons appears to have remained.

ICE and DHS officials stress that protection and security guide these decisions, and they argue that solitary is sometimes necessary to prevent violence or shield people at risk. But human rights groups counter that other options exist:

• Transfer to smaller units with staff support
• Peer-based safety plans
• Increased mental health staffing
• Prompt release for those with serious health conditions

According to the National Immigrant Justice Center and allied groups, when these alternatives are funded and enforced, isolation can become truly rare.

The Otay Mesa spike—42 placements in August 2025, eight times higher than the same month a year earlier—has become a case study. Local attorneys describe hunger strikes tied to medical care concerns and fear among detainees after several high-profile incidents. Facility officials have not released detailed public explanations for the increase, and advocates say that lack of detail underscores the problem: without routine, timely reporting, the public cannot see why spikes occur and whether they were justified under ICE’s own rules.

Congress continues to watch. The April 2024 letter signed by nearly 50 members urged DHS to tighten oversight, publish more data, and assure the public that facilities follow the December 2024 directive. Lawmakers have also asked for reviews of contracts that reward compliance with health and safety standards and penalize repeated violations. If the agency does not show progress, some members say they will push for stronger statutory limits—making parts of the policy enforceable by law.

What Families and Lawyers Can Do Now

While policy debates play out, families and attorneys are seeking practical steps to reduce harm. Medical groups and legal advocates suggest several immediate actions when someone is placed in solitary confinement inside ICE detention:

1. Ask for the written justification that the December 2024 policy requires.
   • The explanation must be in language the person can understand and should be entered into ICE’s database.
   • Attorneys say this document can be vital for challenging prolonged stays.
2. Request copies of daily health checks and mental health notes.
   • Facilities must conduct and document these checks.
   • If records are missing or thin, attorneys can raise the issue with facility leadership and ERO.
3. If the person has a mental illness, medical condition, pregnancy, or is LGBTQ+, press for a fresh individualized assessment.
   • The policy emphasizes use of isolation as a last resort, especially for vulnerable people.
   • Lawyers often use this language to argue for transfer to appropriate care or for release.
4. Track the length of stay.
   • Research shows harm grows with time.
   • Advocates recommend pushing for regular reviews and escalating complaints if isolation extends beyond a short emergency period.
5. If safety is the reason for isolation, ask about alternatives: housing in a safer unit, added staff supervision, or transfer to a facility with specialized care.

6. Use official channels. Family members and detainees can call the ICE Detention Reporting and Information Line (DRIL: 1-888-351-4024) to raise urgent concerns. Lawyers can escalate to ERO leadership and request site-level reviews.

Attorneys say paper trails matter. When facilities know that families and counsel are requesting records, logging dates, and pressing for policy compliance, staff may move faster to reassess placements. Community groups also recommend contacting civil rights organizations to document harm and connect with broader oversight efforts. Reports by the ACLU, the National Immigrant Justice Center, Solitary Watch, and medical experts have all relied on detailed accounts from people held in solitary and their lawyers.

Advocates also encourage people to look at contracting and inspection records. ICE uses performance-based agreements and inspections to assess compliance. If a facility shows repeated issues with restrictive housing, the contract can be reviewed or revised. According to proposals from medical and legal groups, stronger contracts with financial penalties for violations could cut isolation use more quickly than policy alone.

For communities near detention centers, local monitoring can make a difference. Faith groups, legal clinics, and student organizations often gather reports from detainees and help families speak with reporters and lawmakers. During the COVID-19 period, community pressure helped expose the use of isolation as a crude quarantine tool. Today, similar efforts focus on the rise in placements tied to mental health and hunger strikes, calling for better clinical care and safer protest response.

Legal experts point out that solitary in civil immigration custody raises constitutional concerns distinct from criminal jail or prison. People in ICE detention are held for civil proceedings, not punishment, yet isolation imposes conditions that medical experts equate with severe punishment. Courts have looked closely at whether civil detention conditions are excessive compared with the government’s goals. If litigation expands, the new policy rules and the FOIA disclosures could serve as benchmarks for what ICE itself says is required, strengthening cases that argue conditions cross the line.

What the Directive Requires (Quick Summary)

The road ahead depends on how policy and practice converge. The December 2024 directive created a framework: assessment before placement, last-resort use, written justification, daily health checks, and data reporting. The ACLU’s FOIA case opened a window into how those rules are supposed to work and where gaps remain. Congress has put the agency on notice and is considering legislation to set hard limits. And the numbers—more than 7,000 people in solitary between April 2024 and February 2025, with higher totals at facilities like Otay Mesa—are driving public attention.

For now, people inside ICE detention continue to face isolation at record highs. The stakes are personal. A person on suicide watch needs steady care, not a locked cell. A person with a serious mental illness needs treatment, not extended hours alone under bright lights. A gay or transgender person who fears harm from others needs protection that does not come at the cost of their mental health. Each placement decision carries risk, and each day in isolation can leave lasting marks.

Health professionals warn that the damage does not end when someone leaves detention. People released after time in solitary report insomnia, anxiety, and nightmares. Families often take on the care burden without support, and community clinics try to fill a gap that deepened inside detention walls. When immigration cases continue after release, the trauma can make it harder to meet court dates, follow case plans, or work with lawyers on complicated filings. For those who remain detained, the cycle can repeat: a complaint, a fight, a crisis—then a return to isolation.

Policy debates sometimes focus on numbers and rules. But the growth in isolation is also about daily choices inside facilities—how staff respond to protests, how medical teams triage, how supervisors weigh risk, how ERO reviews files. With detention numbers rising under President Trump, those choices will come up more often. Advocates argue that unless policy becomes practice—through transparent reporting, independent oversight, and real penalties for misuse—the United States will keep seeing record highs in ICE solitary confinement, with the greatest harm falling on people least able to bear it.

Medical and legal organizations have sketched out a clear path:

• Treat solitary confinement as an emergency measure only, with strict time limits.
• Build and fund safer alternatives.
• Release people whose health cannot be protected in custody.
• Publish data quickly and often.
• Hold facilities accountable through contracts and public inspections.

If those steps are taken, experts say the system can move away from isolation and toward safer, humane care. If not, the numbers suggest more growth ahead: more people in detention, more use of isolation, and more damage that families and communities will carry long after the cell doors open.