New images and whistleblower complaints have once again put conditions inside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Miramar under scrutiny, where Democratic lawmakers say they have received reports about how people in custody are being treated and the conditions they are being held in.
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The photos were shared by a whistleblower and later published by Reps. Robert Garcia, Bennie Thompson, and Maxwell Frost.
The images show people gathered in enclosed spaces, some apparently sleeping on the floor. They also show trash piling up outside, portable toilets that, according to whistleblowers, have not been cleaned, and people brushing their teeth with a water hose outside the facility.
Complaints of overcrowding and hygiene conditions
Thomas Kennedy, spokesperson for the Florida Immigrant Coalition, has closely followed cases like these and questioned why people are being held for extended periods at a facility that, he said, operates as a detention center even though it is made up of ICE administrative offices.
“They’re holding people illegally. For more than the 12 hours the law allows. Remember, it’s not a detention center—it’s ICE administrative offices that they’re using like a detention center,” Kennedy said, also referring to what he says the released images show.
“More than 100 people in these rooms, and what we’re seeing there, at least, is the garage. But they have office rooms where they have dozens of people crammed together—no shower, no bathroom, sleeping on the floor, without adequate food—a situation of mistreatment,” he said.
Kennedy’s statements are part of the complaints that have triggered renewed questions about how the facility is being run.
In a letter sent to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security, the lawmakers said whistleblowers told them about alleged abuses against people in custody.
According to the letter, the reports include allegations that men, women, families, and elderly people with chronic illnesses are being held for periods ranging from days to weeks.
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The members of Congress also cited complaints of overcrowding, prolonged use of shackles, inadequate access to medical care and hygiene, insufficient food, and limited or no access to legal assistance.
The allegations in the letter reflect testimony and complaints received by the lawmakers and have not been independently verified.
The facility had already been inspected
The controversy is not new. In July, U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz conducted an unannounced inspection of the Miramar facility after receiving testimony about the conditions and treatment of people in custody.
The new photographs and whistleblower complaints are once again putting the center under scrutiny. Kennedy said legal action could follow related to the situation being reported.
ICE has not yet responded
NBC6 contacted ICE and the Department of Homeland Security to request their response to the images and the complaints, but as of the time of publication, neither agency had responded to the request for comment.
Information may be updated if authorities provide a response or additional details about conditions inside the facility.
This story was translated from Spanish with the help of a generative artificial intelligence tool. An NBC6 digital editor reviewed the translation.
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