The Krome Detention Center in Miami, a facility originally designed for male migrant detainees, is now facing severe overcrowding as former President Donald Trump pushes forward with his mass migrant arrest and deportation campaign. The facility, meant to hold just 600 people, is now holding nearly 1,700 detainees — including a group of 40 women, despite Krome being an all-male center.
The surge has left Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) staff overwhelmed and afraid. “There are 1700 people here at Krome!!!!” one employee texted a colleague, expressing fear of walking through the overcrowded facility. Many staff worry about potential riots, but fear retaliation if they speak out.
Krome, America’s oldest immigration detention center, has long faced criticism for abusive conditions. Now, reports are emerging of severe overcrowding, medical neglect, lack of food and water, and unsanitary living conditions. These issues have become more dire after the Trump administration shut down three key oversight offices within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which were responsible for investigating complaints.
Internal ICE documents and text messages shared anonymously with the Associated Press reveal staff warnings about deteriorating conditions. The arrival of female detainees at the male-only facility also potentially violates federal laws meant to prevent sexual abuse in detention.
Nationwide, ICE detentions have jumped to nearly 48,000 — up 21% since the end of President Biden’s term. Legal challenges have slowed deportations, but Trump is now seeking to double ICE’s detention capacity to 100,000 beds, potentially using U.S. Army bases, a move that would test laws prohibiting military involvement in civilian law enforcement.
Despite legal backlash and lawsuits, Trump’s crackdown has reduced the number of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border to 11,000 in March — the lowest in a decade. But it’s unclear where many of those arrested can be held. ICE mainly relies on contracts with local jails and private prisons that limit how many detainees they can take. Krome is one of just five ICE-run long-term detention centers.
Secretly recorded videos from inside Krome have gone viral, showing detainees sleeping on the floor, under tables, and sharing cramped spaces with limited food and no access to showers or phone calls. One detainee, Osiris Vázquez, said he was detained while driving home from work and kept in a packed cell for weeks before choosing to self-deport. He later had to be hospitalized twice for a respiratory illness he claims he caught at Krome.
Since Trump returned to office, three detainees have died in ICE custody, two of them at Krome. One, Maksym Chernyak, a Ukrainian who had entered the U.S. legally, died after showing signs of serious illness. His wife claims that language barriers and neglect contributed to his death. ICE reports confirm he only received acetaminophen despite high blood pressure and other symptoms. His autopsy pointed to complications from a stroke worsened by obesity.
ICE has declined to comment on specific cases but insists it is committed to treating detainees humanely. The agency claims conditions at Krome have recently improved after transferring out some detainees. However, advocates say the overcrowding problem may just be spreading to other facilities. For instance, at the Federal Detention Center in downtown Miami, a violent incident broke out last week as 40 migrants waited hours to be admitted due to a miscount.
With detention numbers rising and deportations lagging, pressure on ICE facilities and staff continues to grow. Meanwhile, federal contractors profiting from the detention system have seen their stock values soar. Still, finding enough staff remains a challenge — a recent job fair held by Akima Global Services in Miami attracted very few applicants.
Advocates and attorneys, including those from the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights organization, have filed lawsuits against the DHS, challenging the administration’s decision to close oversight offices that were created to hold ICE accountable.