Migrants Held in Detention Centers Face Months of Waiting and Dire Conditions

Prolonged detention has become more common under the Trump administration, with some detainees held for over two years despite winning their immigration cases.

Published on Feb. 10, 2026

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Migrants held in U.S. immigration detention centers are facing months of waiting and dire living conditions, with some detainees held for over two years despite winning their immigration cases. The number of people in ICE detention has topped 70,000 for the first time, and the Trump administration's policies have led to a sharp increase in the number of detainees held for at least six months. Detainees report issues like worms in the food, non-functioning toilets, and overflowing sewage, as well as a lack of access to legal counsel and difficulties getting released even after winning their cases.

Why it matters

The prolonged detention of migrants, even those who have won protection or are ready to be deported, raises concerns about due process, human rights, and the treatment of vulnerable populations in the U.S. immigration system. The dire conditions in many detention centers also highlight the need for greater oversight and reform of the detention system.

The details

Migrants like Felipe Hernandez Espinosa, a 34-year-old Nicaraguan asylum-seeker, have been held in immigration detention centers for months or even years, despite having won their cases or being prepared to leave the country. Hernandez has been detained for nearly seven months at the Fort Bliss Army base in Texas, where he says he has asked to be returned to Nicaragua but was told he must see a judge first. Others, like a Chinese man who has been held for over a year without seeing an immigration judge, have also faced prolonged detention despite being ready for deportation. Attorneys report that detainees are being held indefinitely, even after winning protection under the UN Convention Against Torture, and that ICE is denying requests for their release every 90 days.

  • Hernandez has been detained for nearly seven months, with his hearing scheduled for February 26.
  • The number of people in ICE detention topped 70,000 for the first time in early 2026.
  • In mid-January 2026, 7,252 people had been in ICE custody for at least six months, more than double the 2,849 in December 2024.

The players

Felipe Hernandez Espinosa

A 34-year-old Nicaraguan asylum-seeker who has been detained for nearly seven months at the Fort Bliss Army base in Texas.

Ana Alicia Huerta

A senior attorney at the California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice who has met with detainees who say they are ready to be deported but are still being held.

Sui Cheng

The executive director at Americans for Immigrant Justice, who says the poor conditions in detention centers are causing people to give up on their cases.

Sarah Houston

The managing attorney at Immigrant Defenders Law Center, who has clients who have won protection under the UN Convention Against Torture but are still being held in detention.

Yashael Almonte Mejia

A 29-year-old Dominican man who has been detained for eight months since the government sought dismissal of his asylum case, and has been unable to attend his sister's funeral or see his newborn daughter in person.

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What they’re saying

“I came to this country thinking they would help me, and I've been detained for six months without having committed a crime. It is been too long. I am desperate.”

— Felipe Hernandez Espinosa (Phone interview)

“All are telling me: 'I don't understand why I'm here. I'm ready to be deported.'”

— Ana Alicia Huerta, Senior attorney, California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice (Interview)

“They're just holding these people indefinitely. We're seeing people who actually win their immigration cases just languishing in jail.”

— Sarah Houston, Managing attorney, Immigrant Defenders Law Center (Interview)

“He has gone through depression. He has been very bad. He is desperate and he doesn't even know what's going to happen.”

— Judith Mejia Lanfranco, Aunt of Yashael Almonte Mejia (Interview)

“Time was passing, and I was desperate, afraid that they would send me to another country. I didn't know what was going to happen to me.”

— Anonymous Mexican detainee (Interview)

What’s next

The judge in Hernandez's case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow him out on bail.

The takeaway

The prolonged detention of migrants, even those who have won protection or are ready to be deported, highlights the need for greater oversight and reform of the U.S. immigration detention system to ensure due process and humane treatment for all detainees.