Immigration and Customs Enforcement guards used force against nearly 1,330 detainees during the most recent fiscal year [1].

The spike in violence coincides with the largest expansion of immigration detention in decades. As the Trump administration increased the number of people held in facilities, detainees began protesting a lack of food, water, and medical care.

Internal ICE records indicate a 54% increase [2] in the use of force compared to the prior year. This figure contradicts some early reporting that suggested the increase was nearly 40% [2].

Reports from inside the facilities describe guards using tasers, pepper spray, kicks, and punches against those in custody [1]. These encounters resulted in severe injuries, including broken arms, eye injuries, and seizures [1].

These incidents occurred across various ICE detention facilities in the U.S. [1]. The increase in force was observed as the administration expanded its detention capacity to accommodate more immigrants.

Detainees who staged protests over basic living conditions were among those targeted by guards [1]. The use of force remained a consistent trend throughout the fiscal year as facility populations grew.

“Use of force inside ICE detention jumped 54% last year.”

The surge in use-of-force incidents suggests that the rapid expansion of the U.S. immigration detention system has outpaced the ability or willingness of the agency to maintain safety and basic humanitarian standards. The correlation between protests over food and medicine and the subsequent violence indicates a breakdown in facility management and a reliance on physical coercion to maintain order during a period of unprecedented growth in the detained population.