Inside ICE Jails: Journalists Abducted by ICE Report Trauma, Rotten Food, and Mental Health Struggles

Journalists abducted by ICE have revealed the harsh realities inside US detention centres, exposing the system's poor conditions firsthand.

British journalist Sami Hamdi, El Salvador-born Mario Guevara, and Tufts University scholar Rümeysa Öztürk were all held in ICE jails. They describe being shackled for days, denied lawyers, forced to eat rotten food, and kept in overcrowded cells.

Their stories show the harsh reality of ICE detention, the toll on mental health, and the lack of basic human care, exposing a system many have only read about.

Journalists Detained by ICE Narrate Harsh Detention Centres

In a report by The Appeal, Sami Hamdi was travelling in the US on a speaking tour when ICE officials took him at a California airport. The Trump administration revoked his visa after far-right social media groups criticised his reporting on Israel's actions in Gaza. Hamdi said, 'It felt unreal, almost like being in a movie.'

He described being held in tight shackles for days with no relief and denied access to lawyers or medical care unless it was an emergency. He also said he had to sleep in dirty, crowded cells and eat rotten food that made him violently ill.

At the same time, Mario Guevara, who had lived legally in the US for over 20 years, was detained while covering a protest in Georgia. He spent months in ICE custody and was eventually deported back to El Salvador.

Guevara wrote, 'I don't know why ICE wants to continue treating me like a criminal. It pains me to know that I have been denied every privilege and the right to be free when I have never committed any crime.'

Another detainee, Rümeysa Öztürk, a Fulbright scholar, was detained after writing an op-ed about Gaza. She spent five months in ICE jails across the US, including Louisiana.

Öztürk wrote, 'I could have never imagined such an ordeal when I first came to the United States in 2018 to pursue my graduate studies, learn and grow as a scholar, and contribute to the child development field.'

Trauma and Neglect Inside ICE Facilities

All three journalists reported that being held in detention had a severe impact on their mental and physical health.

Hamdi recalled, 'An agent grabbed me from behind, threw me against the car, handcuffed me tightly and tossed me in the vehicle. I repeatedly stated, I had not committed a crime ... They would not let me call my attorneys or family. It was a very surreal experience.'

Öztürk described the slow decline of detainees' health: 'All of us were losing hope and parts of who we are.' She said the confinement affected career prospects, personal growth, and mental well-being. Hamdi recalled an elderly man from Uzbekistan telling him, 'You can have this country,' showing how long-term detention can push people to give up even when they could legally win their case.

The Prison Policy Initiative reported that in 2023, almost 70% of people in US jails were awaiting trial.

ICE detainees often face the same issues. This time, besides a lack of educational programming, they were also given poor food, limited medical care, and restricted access to lawyers. These conditions cause lost wages, broken families, illness, and mental health problems.

Policy Decisions Fuel the Crisis

But there's a policy that has been allowing this to continue. The Trump administration's Big Beautiful Bill (BBB) allocated £136 billion ($170 billion) to criminalising immigrants.

This included £36 billion ($45 billion) for building more ICE detention beds. ICE's budget grew 265%, and bed space increased from 40,000 to 160,000. Reports show 85% of these beds are in private prisons, which receive £1.9 billion ($2.4 billion) from taxpayers annually.

Experts say these policies treat immigrants as criminals, even those with visas or legal status, and allow ICE to use harsh tactics.

Journalists like Hamdi, Guevara, and Öztürk experienced this firsthand.

Despite their trauma, the journalists continue to report on what they saw. Öztürk explained how the lack of sunlight, fresh air, and proper food caused detainees' health to deteriorate.

Hamdi told the Freedom of the Press Foundation in November, 'They know that if the American public finds out the realities of what's happening, ICE will be dismantled in an instant.'

With the BBB policy still in place, new reports are expected to emerge to show that the system created by the Trump administration is denying detainees basic rights. This time, illegal immigrants aren't the only ones affected, but also legal visitors and American citizens.