Surge in Solitary Confinement in Immigration Detention

What Happened

Over a 14-month span from April 2024 to May 2025, more than 10,500 people were placed in solitary confinement in immigration detention centers across the United States, according to research by Physicians for Human Rights and Harvard University. The rate of solitary confinement use surged dramatically under the second Trump administration -- the monthly increase was twice as high as the rate between 2018 and 2023, and more than six times higher than during the final months of the Biden administration.

This escalation occurred simultaneously with the gutting of the DHS offices responsible for oversight of detention conditions.

Duration Exceeds Torture Threshold

The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture has established that solitary confinement exceeding 15 consecutive days constitutes torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. The PHR/Harvard report found that nearly three out of four solitary confinement placements in immigration detention lasted 15 days or longer -- meaning the majority of placements meet the international definition of torture.

For vulnerable populations -- those with mental illness, disabilities, or other conditions -- the average duration was even longer. In the first three months of 2025, vulnerable detainees were confined in solitary for an average of 38 days, up from 14 days in 2021. The number of vulnerable people subjected to solitary confinement increased by an average of 56% per quarter in 2025 compared to 2022.

Retaliatory Use

The research documented systematic use of solitary confinement as retaliation against detainees who exercised their rights. People were placed in isolation for:

• Filing grievances about conditions
• Requesting basic necessities like showers
• Sharing food with other detainees
• Requesting medical care

This retaliatory use violates both the UN Mandela Rules and domestic standards for the treatment of detained persons.

Health Consequences

PHR documented that solitary confinement causes severe and lasting health effects:

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Self-harm and suicide risk
• Lasting brain damage
• Hallucinations and confusion
• Disrupted sleep and reduced cognitive function
• Depression and anxiety

These effects persist beyond the confinement period and result in enduring psychological and physical disabilities, particularly for people with preexisting conditions. Over 44% of solitary confinement placements in New England facilities involved individuals with documented mental illness.

Decimation of Oversight

The surge in solitary confinement coincided with the systematic dismantling of the DHS offices responsible for monitoring detention conditions:

• Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties: Reduced from approximately 150 staff to 22
• Office of Immigration Detention Ombudsman: Reduced from 110 staff to 10

The simultaneous escalation of a practice that constitutes torture under international law and the elimination of the offices responsible for preventing it represents a deliberate structural choice.

Why This Entry Is Rated Critical

• Meets international torture definition: 75% of placements exceed the UN's 15-day threshold for torture
• Scale: Over 10,500 people subjected to solitary confinement in 14 months
• Targeting vulnerable populations: People with mental illness confined for an average of 38 days
• Retaliatory use: Isolation used to punish detainees for filing complaints or requesting basic necessities
• Oversight destroyed: DHS monitoring offices gutted from 260 combined staff to 32
• Documented by authoritative sources: PHR, Harvard, ICIJ, Marshall Project, and ACLU