Migrants Held In ICE Centers Across The U.S. Are Complaining About Being Given Little To No Food

Migrants being held in detention centers across the country say they are being given little to no food, with some losing weight as a result and others claiming the food they do get is rotten.

NBC News detailed that the situation is taking place in multiple sites and is not related to the centers being ran by ICE or private contractors. It is linking the situation with the fact that many facilities are experiencing overcrowding, with ICE being almost 45% above capacity by mid-June.

Even though the agency has received billions of dollars to ramp up operations following the passing of President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful" bill, it has likely been unable to begin ramping up holding capacities to continue its mass deportation operation.

A former ICE official explained to the outlet that it is difficult to stock up properly at the moment, considering that facilities can suddenly receive a large influx of migrants at any given moment. Those situations can lead to food shortages.

Jennifer Norris, an attorney at the Immigrant Defenders Law Center, told the outlet that clients have described "inedible" and in one case "moldy" food. Another migrant said her husband, who was kept in a Texas facility, saw many being given "two spoonfuls of rice," with many going hungry.

Elsewhere, Leamsy Izquierdo, a Cuban-born artist and U.S. permanent resident taken to the Florida center known as "Alligator Alcatraz," said "they give you food only once a day, food that even has worms in it."

Other detainees echoed similar complaints, including one man from Colombia who said he has been denied access to critical medication since his arrival.

The facility's lack of medical attention, outdoor access, and basic sanitation has sparked outrage among loved ones, like Izquierdo's partner Katia, who told reporters, "I don't think it's humane to have people in those conditions."

DemocraticRep. Maxwell Frost visited the facility on Saturday alongside a group of other lawmakers from both major parties. Frost described the conditions he witnessed within the detention center following his visit.

"They opened the door, there was about six security guards standing there pushing us back. But we could see in, and we could hear everybody. When those doors opened, what I saw made my heart sink. I saw 32 people per cage, about 6 cages in one tent. I saw a lot of young men who looked like me, people who were my age," Frost began.

"People were yelling "help me help me". I heard in the back someone saying "I'm a US citizen." And as we were walking away they started chanting "Libertad, libertad." Freedom. Looking into these cages, you could see, it was warm and hot within the tent, people were sweating, some people had taken off the top of their clothing because it was just so hot. Some of them were drenched in sweat," he continued.

"The food we saw was not enough food. They were being fed essentially a small sandwich and a bag of chips. Not just that, but the conditions outside, of course, it's blazing hot... The drinking water comes from the toilet. Not everyone is going to be able to drink as much water as they'd like to because of that inconvenience. But also, it's gross and disgusting, and that's where people are being held," he added.