Story perspectives

UN Calls ICE Solitary Confinement Torture, Demands 90k Cap

6/27/2026

Summary

Story summary

UN high commissioner warned solitary confinement over 15 days in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could amount to torture.
Since President Donald Trump returned to office in 2025, 52 detainees have died under ICE, prompting a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) probe.
Human Rights Watch and Physicians for Human Rights report a 140% mortality rise detainee numbers grew 77%, prompting UN officials to demand oversight, a 90,000-detainee cap by end-2026.

History

Historical Context

Congress’s Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 introduced mandatory detention and expedited removal, laying groundwork for later expansion. After Donald Trump resumed office in 2025, his administration enlarged the Guantánamo Migrant Operations Center to hold up to 30,000 high-priority detainees and ICE reported over 59,000 migrants in custody by September, reflecting a sharp escalation in enforcement.

1 of 2

Story summary

UN high commissioner warned solitary confinement over 15 days in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could amount to torture.
Since President Donald Trump returned to office in 2025, 52 detainees have died under ICE, prompting a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) probe.
Human Rights Watch and Physicians for Human Rights report a 140% mortality rise detainee numbers grew 77%, prompting UN officials to demand oversight, a 90,000-detainee cap by end-2026.

1 / 2