ICE is the title often used to refer to the United States’ Immigration and Custom Enforcement, which has recently seen its name reign in the nation’s news. They declare that their mission is to “protect America…and preserve public safety,” which has been at question within the past few months due to witnesses catching ICE authorities enacting unnecessary force on the public that they serve.
Documented reports admit that 1 out of 4 ICE arrests happen in Texas. Altogether, “as of September 2025, the Trump administration has nearly 60,000 immigrants held in ICE detention facilities, [an almost] 50% increase from 39,000 immigrants…in December 2024.”
The main issue with the population increase is the lack of space and inadequate resources provided to the detainees. Multiple accounts directly from some of the 60,000 hostages tell of their living conditions which they’re confined in.
“They don’t treat them right,” a witness said. “Chained for hours on a prison bus without access to food, water or a toilet. Told by guards to urinate on the floor,” USA Today said, using reports of immigrants detained by ICE.
Perhaps the worst of their treatment lies in the medical and sanitation aspect of the detention facilities’ conditions. From the mouths of first hand survivors and investigators, physical and psychiatric examinations are skipped, toilets are left to overflow, prescriptions are withheld, and records are ignored.
“They should not be treated with so much disrespect. Status of residency shouldn’t lead to [neglect,]” Cain Newspaper Social Media Editor Cade Nguyen said. “If you lack medical care [and it] leads to [an issue] that’s when you know our country is doing something wrong.”
Despite the guidelines made by ICE themselves which argues to refrain from holding captive any pregnant woman, many socially compliant pregnant detainees are within ICE’s system. Alongside the current average abuse experienced in the detention centers, the women are denied their more specialized needs tied to their expectancy.
“Trump’s administration and their use of ICE doesn’t care about the well-being of those that they are told to deport,” News Editor in Chief Catherine Kirkpatrick said. “As much as I would love to see crime rates go down, I don’t think committing crimes like this or overgeneralizing a group of people is the way to do it.”
The rise in activity from ICE was largely spurred by Trump’s second time in office, in which he promised to rid America of the “worst of the worst.” Even with this promise, only 42% of the arrests made are directed towards criminal convicts, compared to 58% under Biden’s term.
“A 16% difference is huge considering the time Trump’s presidency has lasted compared to Biden’s,” Nguyen said. “There is obviously something up with Trump’s schemes which is to eradicate all immigrants [whether] convicted or not.”
Many Americans, immigrants and American-born citizens alike have recently joined together to protest against these conditions. The reported actions are only a sliver of what detainees endure as the rest is hidden, yet it remains to be labeled as unjust.
“Some of the people being detained are on the run after committing a crime, [however]…common people are being caught in the crossfire unjustifiably, suffering unnecessary physical force,” news staffer Stori Anglin said. “ICE has been abusing their power [for too long.]”
