There are any number of issues that may arise that result in Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) officers detaining people. There are a number of immigration detention centers in Florida and throughout the United States, and the number of immigrants detained at any given time fluctuates. In recent months, concerns have arisen that the death toll of people being held in ICE custody is high.
Detention officers must treat detainees humanely. Analysts can use the annual rate of deaths to assess quality of treatment in such facilities. Many immigrant advocates have grown increasingly concerned upon learning that there were 21 deaths in U.S. immigration centers during the 2020 fiscal year.
This is reportedly double the number of deaths that occurred among the detained immigrant population during the prior fiscal year. ICE representatives have stated that the rate of deaths occurring among people held in its custody is much lower than the death toll that occurs among non-ICE detention facilities in the United States. They also said that ICE considers the health and safety of detainees a top priority.
The number of people held in ICE custody has drastically decreased within the past year. This has apparently not slowed the number of news reports regarding alleged civil rights violations occurring in immigration detention facilities, such as recent reports that women have claimed they were forced to get hysterectomies, as well as reports of fatalities that have occurred among immigrants in detention who reportedly received substandard medical care. Any Florida immigrant or family who is facing similar issues at this time may reach out for legal support from an experienced U.S. immigration law attorney.
