A new weekly roundup from the nonprofit watchdog group Solitary Watch documents the continued use of solitary confinement across prisons, immigration detention centers, jails, and public schools, raising concerns regarding isolation as a tool of punishment, coercion, and control throughout the United States.
The California Assembly has advanced Assembly Bill 1675, known as the No Tax Breaks for ICE Contractors Act, which seeks to deny state tax incentives to corporations contracting with federal immigration enforcement agencies. This legislative action follows a significant expansion of immigrant detention operations in California and documented worsening conditions within detention facilities, as reported by state inspectors.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) condemned federal authorities this week following reports of pepper ball and tear gas deployment against protesters and elected officials outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention center in Newark. The organization additionally cited federal obstruction of lawmakers seeking facility access for oversight purposes.
Solitary Watch published a report documenting the use of solitary confinement within Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, highlighting the experiences of individuals subjected to isolation, including transgender detainees and juveniles, and providing an analysis of official ICE data on the practice.
For the first time, a judge sanctioned private prison company CoreCivic for the destruction of video evidence allegedly connected to the wrongful death of an immigration detainee, imposing an adverse inference against the company and culminating in an undisclosed settlement with the family.
Assembly Member Alex Lee is seeking passage of AB 1675, formally titled the No Tax Breaks for ICE Contractors Act, a legislative initiative intended to prohibit corporations engaged with federal immigration enforcement agencies from accessing specific California tax incentives, with generated revenues subsequently earmarked for immigrant legal aid funding.
Solitary Watch has reported instances of detainees with serious medical needs or suicidal ideation being placed in solitary confinement within Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities, rather than receiving appropriate medical or mental health care. The findings have prompted renewed scrutiny regarding the use of solitary confinement as a punitive or control mechanism, particularly in cases involving vulnerable individuals.
State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez issued a statement addressing a hunger strike at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center Annex in San Bernardino County. Detainees are reportedly protesting facility conditions, demanding improved living standards and greater accountability from operators. Pérez’s statement also advocated for Senate Bill 995, legislation designed to enhance oversight and transparency within California’s detention center system.
Federal judges have ruled against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention practices in approximately 90 percent of cases since the Trump administration expanded mandatory detention policies, representing an extraordinary judicial rebuke that has resulted in over 10,000 adverse decisions for the administration.
The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the right of detained immigrants to bond hearings while contesting deportation, a decision impacting thousands across Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, and Kentucky. The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan lauded the ruling, which rejected the government’s argument for mandatory detention without due process.
Federal Magistrate Judge Matthew J. Sharbaugh expressed reservations regarding the pretrial treatment of Cole Tomas Allen, who faces federal assassination charges stemming from an alleged attempt on President Donald J. Trump. Judge Sharbaugh highlighted that Allen has reportedly been deprived of his constitutional right to private counsel, subjected to solitary confinement, and treated in a manner he described as unprecedented among his observations.
The Washington Post has reported a sharp increase in immigrants choosing to leave the US voluntarily due to fears of ICE detention, prolonged confinement, and declining chances of receiving asylum protections, with over 80,000 voluntary departure orders issued from January to March.
MomsRising is urging Congress to pass the Pregnant Women in Custody Act to protect the health of pregnant women and their babies detained or incarcerated across federal agencies, citing mounting reports of abuse and medical neglect in ICE detention facilities.
Advocates and community members are urging the public to submit comments opposing the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ Environmental Assessment, which could pave the way for the closed Federal Correctional Institution Dublin to be repurposed as an immigration detention facility, raising urgent concerns about safety, environmental hazards and the legacy of abuse tied to the site.
In North Carolina prisons, transgender individuals face heightened risk of harassment and violence, while other incarcerated individuals are often denied adequate medical care and are placed in solitary confinement, raising concerns about the treatment of those within the systems meant to ensure custody and care.
Sanctuary of the South, Amnesty International USA and the ACLU of Florida have demanded urgent medical intervention for Andriy Shepitsen, a Ukrainian man detained at the Krome North Service Processing Center, who has been denied medical care for his severe bipolar disorder, major depression, and ADHD.
The Vera Institute of Justice released a report showing that ICE detention populations have reached record levels under the second Trump administration, with the system reaching unprecedented levels and a 61% increase in detention bookings in the first two and a half months of 2026.
Communities nationwide are pushing back against federal plans to convert warehouses into immigration detention centers, citing concerns about the impact on local infrastructure and resources.
The New York Times has reported on multiple immigrant deaths in ICE custody, raising concerns about delayed or inadequate medical care and prompting calls for reform and stronger oversight of detention conditions.
The Alameda County Board of Supervisors has unanimously approved a resolution opposing the reopening of the former Federal Correctional Institution Dublin as a detention facility, citing environmental and safety concerns, as well as the potential for decreased trust in local institutions.