The growing crisis at immigration jails in South Florida has revealed troubling accounts of human dignity being stripped away from vulnerable migrants. As Catholics, we are called to uphold the sanctity and dignity of every person, especially those who are marginalized and suffering. What is happening in these detention centers is not just a policy failure—it is a moral crisis.
According to a joint report by Human Rights Watch, Americans for Immigrant Justice, and Sanctuary of the South, migrants at three Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities in Florida have suffered degrading treatment, dangerous overcrowding, and medical neglect. One of the most disturbing incidents occurred at the federal detention center in downtown Miami, where detainees were shackled with their hands behind their backs and made to kneel to eat food “like dogs.” One migrant, Pedro, stated plainly: “We had to eat like animals” (according to The Guardian, July 22, 2025).
These stories come from interviews with dozens of migrants held at facilities in Miami, west Miami, and Pompano Beach. Some reported being held in a bus for more than 24 hours without proper access to restrooms. A detainee described the bus: “Because we were on the bus for so long, and we were not permitted to leave it, others defecated in the toilet… the whole bus smelled strongly of feces.” Once inside, they were held for days in rooms so cold they named one “la hielera”—the ice box—where detainees slept on concrete floors without bedding or warm clothing.
Women at the Krome North Service Processing Center were made to use the toilet in full view of men and were denied access to gender-appropriate hygiene care. A female detainee named Andrea described how the jail was filled to such extremes that “almost all the visitation rooms were full. A few were so full men couldn’t even sit, all had to stand.”
These abuses are not isolated incidents—they are the result of a rapidly expanding detention system. The average number of people detained daily by ICE rose from 37,500 in 2024 to over 56,000 by June 2025, with nearly 72% having no criminal history. As the facilities became more crowded, so did the danger. At the Broward Transitional Center, a Haitian woman named Marie Ange Blaise died in April after reportedly being denied medical care. In another incident, guards at the downtown Miami jail allegedly shut off surveillance cameras before brutalizing detainees who were protesting the lack of medical attention for a fellow inmate coughing up blood. One man’s finger was broken during the attack.
These stories highlight systemic cruelty that cannot be ignored by a Church that believes each person is created in the image and likeness of God. Pope Francis has often reminded us that migrants are not numbers but “faces, names, and stories.” Catholics cannot turn away from the moral implications of what is unfolding.
Katie Blankenship, an immigration attorney and co-founder of Sanctuary of the South, said the “anti-immigrant escalation and enforcement tactics under the Trump administration are terrorizing communities and ripping families apart,” especially in Florida—a state deeply rooted in immigrant contributions. She warned: “The rapid, chaotic, and cruel approach to arresting and locking people up is literally deadly and causing a human rights crisis that will plague this state and the entire country for years to come” (according to The Guardian).
Your support brings the truth to the world.
Catholic Online News exists because of donors like you. We are 100% funded by people who believe the world deserves real, uncensored news rooted in faith and truth — not corporate agendas. Your gift ensures millions can continue to access the news they can trust — stories that defend life, faith, family, and freedom.
When truth is silenced, your support speaks louder.
This is just sickening. Regardless of what you think about immigration, this is no way to treat anyone. Unfortunately, certain right wing Catholics will either deny this is happening or imply that the migrants deserved it somehow.