U.S. ICE Detention Centers Face Inspection Gaps Amid Record Arrest Surge

Fifteen of ICE's largest detention centers—each housing 500 or more migrants—have gone more than a year without a formal inspection after a 2025 policy reduced review frequency. The lapse affects facilities such as the Florence Correctional Center in Arizona and the Golden State Annex in California, leaving thousands of detainees without recent federal oversight. Mortality rates in ICE custody have more than doubled since 2021, reaching 88.9 deaths per 100,000 detainees in fiscal year 2026, while the detainee population swelled from about 40,000 in early 2025 to roughly 57,000 by mid‑2026. Overcrowding and a 37% rise in use‑of‑force incidents have been documented, including a July 3 surprise inspection in Miramar, Florida, that found 150 people crammed into rooms designed for 56.

During a recent five‑day period, ICE arrested over 10,000 individuals nationwide, a surge driven by White House directives to increase daily arrests to 2,000 and bolstered by recent Supreme Court rulings expanding enforcement powers. Funding boosts, including the $170 billion “Big Beautiful Bill,” have supported the expanded operations. The rapid arrests have exacerbated conditions in detention facilities, with extreme heat reaching 102 °F in Newark, New Jersey, worsening already dire circumstances.