Human Rights Watch (HRW) recently published a scathing report detailing what it describes as “degrading and dehumanizing” treatment of detainees in three Florida-based immigration detention facilities. The centers under scrutiny include the Krome North Service Processing Center, Broward Transitional Center, and the Federal Detention Center.

The report, entitled “You Feel Like Your Life Is Over,” offers firsthand accounts from six detainees, which paint a bleak picture of life inside these facilities. Stories of unsanitary conditions, hypothermic environments, and inadequate access to basic necessities such as food, water, and medical care are common. One British detainee recounted severe health deterioration after being denied essential medication, leading to his hospitalization.

Moreover, the report highlights issues of mismanagement and abuse, including the co-housing of women in male facilities, leading to privacy violations and restricted access to appropriate medical care. One female detainee described the humiliation of being monitored by cameras placed directly above toilets.

In light of these findings, HRW has called on the Trump Administration, Congress, the Department of Homeland Security, ICE, and the state of Florida to adopt sweeping reforms. They recommend implementing independent oversight and repealing laws that mandate immigration detention, which they argue contribute to these abuses.

The organization also urged multiple UN bodies to investigate these allegations and monitor U.S. detention practices more closely. This request comes amidst a broader backdrop of increased immigration arrests and detentions under current U.S. immigration policies, which have been vigorously contested in both public domains and courts.

Legal challenges continue to mount against what many critics see as the administration’s aggressive stance on immigration. Recent judicial rulings have attempted to curb rapid policy changes, though the Supreme Court has notably limited the scope of nationwide injunctions against executive actions.

This HRW report adds to a growing body of evidence calling for significant reforms in the U.S. immigration detention system, highlighting urgent human rights concerns that remain unaddressed amidst ongoing policy debates.