Our latest press releases on important news and events relating to immigration detention in the United States
For media inquiries contact: media@detentionwatchnetwork.org
Washington, DC — In response to the government shut down, Setareh Ghandehari advocacy director of Detention Watch Network, issued the following statement:
Washington, DC — In response to the shooting at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Field Office in Dallas, Detention Watch Network released the following statement:
“Detention Watch Network condemns the shooting in Dallas that resulted in the death of an immigrant in ICE custody. A person tragically lost their life — a family will forever be changed — while two other people are fighting for their lives in critical condition.
Florence, AZ — The Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project and Detention Watch Network are mourning the tragic loss of Lorenzo Antonio Batrez Vargas, 32, affectionately known as "Lenchito,” a beloved son, brother, and friend who died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody on Sunday, August 31, 2025. ICE had detained Mr. Batrez Vargas at Central Arizona Correctional Complex in Florence, Arizona and has reported that the cause of his death is currently unknown.
Washington, DC — Unbuild Walls: Why Immigrant Justice Needs Abolition, by Silky Shah, Executive Director of Detention Watch Network is now available as an Audiobook. Unbuild Walls, released in May 2024, dives into US immigration policy and its relationship to mass incarceration, from the last 40 years to the present, showing how the prison-industrial complex and immigration enforcement are intertwined systems of repression.
Washington, DC — Trump’s cruel mass detention and deportation agenda has reached a previously unimaginable scope and scale. Last week, a Washington Post report revealed what advocates have been calling attention to for months: with the shocking infusion of funding from the MAGA-backed megabill, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) plans to double its detention capacity by the end of this year to detain nearly 110,000 people.
NATIONWIDE — Immigrant justice groups are raising the alarm on the rapid expansion of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention through state, federal, and private prisons, including the reopening of facilities that have been shut down.
Washington, DC — Breaking reporting from the Washington Post reveals what advocates have been sounding the alarm on for months: with the shocking infusion of funding from the MAGA-backed megabill, ICE plans to double its detention capacity by the end of this year to detain more than 100,00 people.
Indianapolis, IN — Yesterday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it has entered into an agreement with Indiana to detain up to 1,000 people in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody at the Miami Correctional Facility, a maximum security state prison north of Indianapolis.
Washington, DC — In response to the news that FEMA is reassigning employees to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Setareh Ghandehari, Advocacy Director of Detention Watch Network issued the following statement:
Washington, DC — In response to news that the Trump administration is deploying the National Guard to assist in processing people for immigration detention in 20 states, Setareh Ghandehari, Advocacy Director of Detention Watch Network, issued the following statement:
