Contained within the findings of a recent report, numerous claims of human rights violations across immigrant detention facilities are unearthed.
Senator Jon Ossoff's investigation into human rights violations at U.S. immigration detention centers has uncovered at least 510 credible reports of abuse since January 2025, across 25 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, federal buildings, military installations, and deportation flights[1].
Key findings include:
- 41 credible reports of physical or sexual abuse, such as detainees being beaten by staff or subjected to solitary confinement after reporting abuse[2].
- 14 credible reports of mistreatment of pregnant women, highlighting inadequate and harmful conditions for expectant mothers[2].
- 18 credible reports of abuse or medical neglect of children, including U.S. citizen children held in detention[1][2].
Specific documented incidents include severe physical abuse, such as a detainee at the El Paso Service Processing Center being slammed to the ground and nearly having his wrists broken, and multiple emergency calls reporting sexual assaults or threats at facilities like the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in California and the South Texas ICE Processing Center[2].
The report suggests these abuses continue under the current administration as part of a larger, coordinated system of repression and intimidation targeting immigrants, asylum seekers, and children. It also reveals that the administration and the agencies involved maintain policies that enable indefinite detention and mistreatment, despite public and legislative scrutiny[1][3].
The investigation was based on interviews with detainees, attorneys, law enforcement, medical staff, analysis of public reports, and site inspections[2][3]. Ossoff, while conducting this investigation, has been politically connected to legislation (like the Laken Riley Act) that enforces the detention infrastructure he critiques[1].
Notably, a 4-year-old U.S. citizen boy with stage 4 cancer was removed to Honduras without access to his medicines when immigration authorities deported his mother in April. Another case involved a pregnant detainee in Georgia, a 23-year-old Mexican national, who miscarried after medical staff at the detention center confirmed her pregnancy in mid-March[1].
Similar allegations to those in Ossoff's report have been made by immigration advocates and detainees held in detention centers across California, Texas, Louisiana, Washington, New Jersey, Florida, and New York[1]. The report also includes at least three instances where children experienced severe medical issues while in detention and were denied adequate medical treatment[1].
Ossoff's office did not send the report to DHS in advance, but had previously inquired about some of the cases in recent oversight letters to DHS[1]. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated that any claim of substandard conditions at ICE detention centers is false[1].
In response to these findings, Ossoff has called for immediate reforms, including an end to family separations, increased transparency, and improved medical care for detainees[1]. The report serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for action to protect the human rights of those in U.S. immigration detention.
[1] Ossoff, J. (2025). Report on Human Rights Violations in U.S. Immigration Detention Centers. Retrieved from https://www.ossoff.senate.gov/report-on-human-rights-violations-in-u-s-immigration-detention-centers [2] Associated Press. (2025). Ossoff Report Details Abuse, Neglect in U.S. Immigration Detention Centers. Retrieved from https://www.apnews.com/article/immigration-joe-biden-us-news-health-georgia-8e924e20b58b66687b024d7d3e11877c [3] NBC News. (2025). Ossoff Report Details Alleged Abuse in U.S. Immigration Detention Centers. Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ossoff-report-details-alleged-abuse-u-s-immigration-detention-centers-n1285267
- The investigation led by Senator Jon Ossoff highlighted the prevalence of medical-conditions related issues in the realm of health-and-wellness, specifically 18 credible reports of abuse or medical neglect of children.
- The political landscape (politics) remains a significant factor, with Senator Ossoff being politically connected to legislation that critiques the very detention infrastructure he investigated.
- Beyond the shocking physical and sexual abuse reports in U.S. immigration detention centers, general-news outlets have reported on at least three instances where children experienced severe medical issues while in detention and were denied adequate medical treatment, underscoring the urgent need for crime-and-justice reforms in this area.
