ICE detentions are notorious for their inhumane conditions; 32 people died in ICE custody in 2025 alone, matching a record set two decades prior in 2004. Mandated with targeting 100% of people who are “deportable”, the agency has long been unfettered by the (already limited) regulations placed on police or prisons in the criminal legal system. People in ICE detention are not entitled to a lawyer or the due process protections afforded to people within the criminal legal system. Yet Democratic leadership has refused to back the call to defund ICE, with thinktanks suggesting “abolish ICE” goes too far. We need to move away from a system predicated on violence in favor of one that centers people’s humanity.

Source: The Guardian January 18, 2026 22:32 UTC