A Guardian investigation uncovered that ICE has been keeping people locked in tiny, hidden holding rooms for days or even weeks, way beyond the agency’s supposed time limits. These rooms are tucked away inside ICE field offices, federal buildings, and other sites. Officially, they’re meant for processing, just a quick stop.
Across the country, ICE runs at least 170 of these holding sites, including 25 field offices. Some are bare concrete spaces with nothing but benches, a sink, and a toilet. They were never intended for anyone to stay in for long periods of time.
At first, internal rules capped stays at 12 hours. Then, in June, ICE put out a memo waiving that rule and letting agents hold people for up to three days if they’d just been arrested. The memo said the change would “avoid violation of holding facility standards and requirements.”
But people didn’t just end up staying three days, they got stuck for much longer. The Guardian found cases where people were locked up well past the new limit. One New York City facility held a 62-year-old man for two and a half months. At the same site, 63 more people spent over a week in holding between the start of Trump’s term and late July.
After the June memo, the data shows the average time locked in these rooms shot up by nearly 600% at one New York location.
On this National First Responders Day, we extend our sincere gratitude to all the men and women of @ICEgov and @DHSgov who answered the call to Defend the Homeland.
America is safer thanks to our officers and agents. pic.twitter.com/bjma74bU1e
— ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan (@ICEDeputy) October 28, 2025
Advocates and former ICE officials are raising alarms. They say these rooms have almost no oversight, which opens the door to abuse. Paige Austin, a supervising attorney with Make the Road New York, says it plainly, “There is a total lack of oversight… The lack of communication and lack of access to counsel for people in these sites is a way of preventing oversight, transparency and accountability.”
A former ICE official, who wanted to stay anonymous, didn’t hold back: “People were not supposed to spend more than 12 hours in there.” And the longer people are stuck in these cramped spaces, the higher the risk of sexual abuse or assault.
The Broadview Processing Center near Chicago is now facing its own lawsuit, along with a separate Guardian report. Lawyers from the ACLU of Illinois and the MacArthur Justice Center say people there were denied private calls with their attorneys. Lawmakers, faith leaders, and journalists couldn’t get inside. They call the place a “black box.”
Alexa Van Brunt, the lead attorney, described what’s happening: people “being kidnapped off the streets, packed in hold cells, denied food, medical care, and basic necessities, and forced to sign away their legal rights.” The lawsuit asks the courts to step in, force agencies to improve conditions, and restore access to lawyers, according to 8 News Now.
When The Guardian reached out for comment, ICE asked for more time but didn’t respond before publication. DHS officials have said these holding rooms are just for processing, not detention, so they don’t need the same oversight as bigger facilities.
But legal and rights groups are demanding real accountability. They say these holding rooms are a loophole. They are places where people can get lost in the system, with little documentation and no easy way to call for help. One attorney said these sites “fall through every crack in the system.”
Thanks to the Guardian’s reporting and the Broadview lawsuit, these secretive practices are finally facing some scrutiny. Now, lawmakers and the courts have to decide: will these rooms stay hidden, or will someone finally step in to oversee what’s happening inside?
