Faith Leaders Urged to Ask ICE Agents to Quit Over Abuses

(FLORIDA) Faith leaders and immigrant advocates are urging Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel to resign or refuse assignments that, they say, contribute to systemic human rights abuses in ICE detention facilities across the state. As of August 15, 2025, the sharpest criticism targets conditions at Krome, Broward Transitional Center (BTC), and the Federal Detention Center (FDC) in downtown Miami. Recent reports describe severe mistreatment, medical neglect, and abusive practices that have intensified with rising detention numbers.

The accounts, documented by rights groups and legal aid organizations, point to overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, and poor ventilation. Detainees are confined in tight cells, face broken toilets, and have inconsistent access to hygiene. Advocates report physical and verbal abuse, including use of stun devices against protesting detainees, invasive searches, and humiliation by staff.

Families and attorneys say they face blocked communication, even during medical emergencies, leaving people cut off from counsel and critical health decisions when minutes matter. Many of these problems are concentrated in Florida, but they echo patterns observed nationwide.

Escalating allegations in Florida facilities

Two sites at the center of Florida’s complaints—Krome and BTC—are run by private contractors under ICE oversight. Advocates argue this setup dulls accountability while incentivizing cost-cutting that harms safety and care.

The FDC, a federal jail designed for criminal defendants, now also holds hundreds of immigration detainees in crowded units, according to the latest field reports. Detainees describe long waits for medical attention, limited time outdoors, and harsh disciplinary responses to peaceful protests or requests for help.

A tragic case in April 2025 has become a rallying point: the death of Haitian detainee Marie Ange Blaise at BTC after a delayed emergency response, as reported by attorneys and advocates who reviewed the sequence of events. Her death amplified calls from pastors, rabbis, and imams to ICE personnel to “step away” from roles that, in their view, normalize harm.

Faith leaders say their communities are seeing lasting trauma among detainees and families in South Florida, including parents separated from children and people with chronic illnesses struggling to receive consistent medication.

Advocates also highlight allegations of:
– Medical neglect, with delays for injuries and chronic conditions.
– Isolation that limits detainees’ access to legal counsel.
– Transfers that cause detainees to lose contact with lawyers, fueling missed court deadlines and worsening mental health.

Rights groups argue these conditions meet the definition of human rights abuses because they deny basic dignity and can cause irreparable harm.

ICE response and enforcement context

ICE and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) frame the issue differently, emphasizing an enforcement mission focused on criminal offenders. DHS statements in August 2025 highlighted arrests of individuals described as violent offenders, including gang members and people with serious criminal histories, and urged public support for continued operations.

The agency also points to a dramatic rise in attacks on its officers, reporting an 830% increase in assaults from January through July 2025 compared with the same period last year. ICE leadership says this surge reflects dangerous rhetoric that paints officers as villains and raises risks during arrests and transport.

Agency officials argue:
– The work is essential to public safety and national security.
– Officers face risks the public rarely sees.
– Published detention rules, including the Performance-Based National Detention Standards, set a baseline for care and custody requirements (standards posted here: https://www.ice.gov/detention-standards).

Critics counter that rules are often ignored on the ground, and complaint systems rarely produce fast or meaningful change.

Oversight, privatization, and legal pressure

Even as allegations mount, privatization remains dominant in the detention system. As of early 2025, about 86% of people in ICE custody were held in privately run facilities. Advocates say this structure complicates external oversight and blurs lines of responsibility between government and contractors.

Legal organizations have pursued transparency through:
1. Freedom of Information Act requests
2. Lawsuits seeking detailed records on transfers, medical care, and discipline inside Krome, BTC, and other facilities

Attorneys say transparency remains limited, with many complaints stalled for months.

Advocates also describe weakened independent checks. The Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman and DHS’s Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties—both designed to review complaints—have lost capacity in recent years, according to rights groups. This has reduced paths for detainees to seek relief.

Despite mounting evidence of harm, there is no sign of major policy changes as of mid-2025. Detention numbers have climbed, and observers say conditions have worsened, heightening the urgency of calls for systemic reform.

“If you can’t stop the abuse, don’t be part of it.”
Faith leaders have urged ICE personnel to refuse participation in practices that degrade people seeking safety or family unity in the United States 🇺🇸.

Faith communities are recommending a “sanctuary approach” across congregations that includes:
– Visits to detainees
– Helping with commissary funds
– Supporting legal defense
– Public pressure on contractors operating Krome and BTC

Practical advice for detainees and families

For people in custody and their families, advocates recommend these practical steps that can help amid poor conditions:

1. Keep copies of medical records and requests, with dates and names when possible.
2. Ask for a medical exam in writing; follow up if no response within a reasonable time.
3. Maintain a current list of attorney contacts and family numbers; send updates after any transfer.
4. Document any injuries or threats, including names of witnesses, and seek to report them through available channels.
5. Reach out to local consulates for welfare checks and help with communication.

Families and community groups in Florida are organizing:
– Court support
– Transportation to detention visits
– Pressure campaigns targeting county officials who contract with ICE

For plain-language explainers on detention processes and bond, advocates often point readers to analysis and guides on VisaVerge.com, which tracks policy shifts and case trends for noncitizens and their supporters.

Policy background and current state

The current landscape reflects years of policy choices across administrations:
– Under President Trump, detention capacity grew and custody expanded.
– Under President Biden, some oversight efforts continued, but advocacy groups say critical watchdog functions were weakened.

Advocates argue the combined effect is a system where:
– Private operators hold most detainees
– Complaint channels lack teeth
– Abuse allegations multiply faster than investigations

No major legislative fixes or executive reforms were announced this summer. Lawsuits and public campaigns continue, while ICE presses ahead with recruitment and enforcement—denouncing attacks on officers and seeking broader public backing.

For detainees at Krome, BTC, and the FDC, that means the day-to-day reality remains largely unchanged: crowded dorms, strained medical units, and limited access to outside help. For agents, it means a job that is more dangerous and politically charged, with pressure from both leadership and religious communities pulling in opposite directions.