Miami’s Krome North Processing Center is facing a humanitarian crisis, with reports indicating that the facility is holding more than twice its intended capacity. Originally built to accommodate 600 detainees, the center now houses over 1,200 individuals amid the U.S. government’s intensified immigration enforcement policies.
Overcrowding Pushes Detainees to Desperation
With detainees packed into cramped spaces and lacking basic necessities, some are opting to sign deportation orders just to escape the facility’s deteriorating conditions. “A lot of people are just signing orders to be removed because the conditions are so horrible,” said Paul Chavez, director of litigation at Americans for Immigrant Justice, in an interview with Axios.
While U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) maintains that the overcrowding is temporary and that efforts are underway to transfer detainees and expedite case processing, firsthand accounts from within Krome suggest a far graver situation.
Reports of Neglect and Mistreatment
Detainees describe unhygienic conditions, lack of medical care, and even physical mistreatment. One woman, who spoke to USA TODAY anonymously, recounted being chained to other detainees and transported for hours without access to food, water, or restrooms.
“We smelled worse than animals,” she told USA Today. “We were packed in like sardines.”
Others report being denied showers for days and forced to sleep on crowded floors. Some detainees have been left with no choice but to relieve themselves on the floor due to limited access to restrooms.
Deaths Raise Alarms Over Facility’s Conditions
Concerns over Krome’s ability to provide humane treatment intensified following the deaths of three detainees since October. Despite ICE’s claims that it adheres to proper detention standards, past inspections have raised red flags. A 2023 Homeland Security report found that multiple ICE detention centers, including Krome, failed to meet federal standards for detainee care.
ICE has yet to confirm or address specific allegations made by detainees, with a spokesperson stating that such conditions do not align with the agency’s policies. However, with the total number of detainees in ICE custody surpassing its 41,500-bed national capacity, overcrowding in detention facilities has become a growing crisis across the country.
As immigration enforcement intensifies, advocates are calling for urgent reforms to improve detainee conditions and ensure basic human rights are upheld within the detention system.
Keep up with immigration news with us on Que Onda Magazine.