The use of solitary confinement in US immigration detention has once again come under intense scrutiny, as a new report reveals a sharp spike during the early months of President Donald Trump’s second term. According to findings from Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), the Peeler Immigration Lab, and researchers at Harvard Law School, over 10,000 people were placed in solitary confinement in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities during a 14-month period ending in May 2025.

The study, which builds upon years of investigations into ICE detention practices, raises alarms about systemic abuse and the punitive direction of America’s immigration system. The report also underscores how the expansion of ICE’s funding under Trump’s administration has enabled practices that international experts consider inhumane and tantamount to torture.

From February to March 2025 alone, the number of detainees placed in solitary confinement increased by 6.5% per month on average-a rate more than six times higher than what was recorded between April and November 2024 under President Joe Biden. While solitary confinement has been used under multiple administrations, the new data suggests the pace and scale of its use have accelerated dramatically since Trump returned to office.

This surge coincides with a broader expansion of the US detention system. In August 2025, the number of people held in immigration detention reached over 60,000, the highest figure ever recorded in the United States. The passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which allocated ICE an unprecedented $75 billion in additional funding and quadrupled its detention budget, has only reinforced concerns about the government’s reliance on incarceration as a primary immigration........

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