Authors: Emily Dauria, Kathryn Nowotny, Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein
Journal (blog): Health Affairs Forefront
Introduction: As health equity scholars whose work centers on understanding, and mitigating the harms caused by mass incarceration, we and many others have documented the immense toll that surveillance and detention has on individuals, families, and whole communities.
People detained by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in particular, report rates of depression, PTSD, suicidal ideation, and chronic illness that far exceed the general population. Pregnant people in ICE custody have miscarried due to lack of prenatal care and children have been lost in its bureaucratic maze. The number of people detained by ICE has increased by 40% compared to 2024, marking the highest daily population (>56,000) of immigrant detention in U.S. history, with some detention facilities operating at over 3 times operational capacity.
At least 13 people have died this year so far in ICE custody–already out pacing the total death count for 2024. In short, the agency’s demonstrated record of abuse has had devastating consequences for public health: unlawful detentions, amplification of disease risk, ethical medical failures, unsafe and abusive conditions, solitary confinement and other types of torture, medical neglect and emergencies, family separation, and enduring trauma. Despite lawsuits, journalistic investigations, community organizing, and advocacy, ICE operates with near impunity and without meaningful oversight.
And now, Congress has voted to supercharge these harms.