More than 1,000 alleged rights abuses in immigration detention, Ossoff finds

Among the reported violations identified by Ossoff’s staff are 44 credible reports of family separation, according to the document.

During the first Trump administration, the systematic separation of migrant children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border sparked domestic and international outrage. More than 5,000 children were split from their caregivers before the explosive “zero tolerance” policy was scrapped.

As late as 2024, U.S. authorities remained unable to confirm the reunification status of hundreds of impacted minors.

The new iteration of family separation is more limited in scope, according to reporting from The New York Times which found it concerns families already living in the U.S., who are separated to pressure parents into leaving the country.

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

In Tuesday’s report, Ossoff’s staff describe speaking with the attorney of an immigrant detainee who gave birth in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility and was separated from her breastfeeding infant for several months. When the detainee was released, she was unable to continue breastfeeding because of the separation, according to the report.

Additionally, multiple detainees told Ossoff’s investigators that immigration officials threatened to take their children away if they refused to voluntarily self-deport.

“The American people demand and deserve secure borders. The American people also believe every human being should be treated with dignity and respect, and these reports of unacceptable abuse and mistreatment shock the conscience and demand accountability,” Ossoff said in a statement.

The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s request for comment on Monday.

In response to a prior report released last year by Ossoff’s office — this one centered on allegations of abuse from pregnant women and children in immigration custody — DHS officials published a lengthy statement on the agency’s website repudiating Ossoff’s findings, calling the senator’s claims “false” and “garbage.”

“Senator Ossoff’s false allegations of subprime conditions have been debunked time and time again by DHS,” the statement said. “ICE detention facilities have higher standards than most U.S. prisons that detain American citizens. All detainees are provided with comprehensive medical care, proper meals, and are given the opportunity to call their family members and attorneys.”

Credit: Kitchen Table for the AJC

Credit: Kitchen Table for the AJC

To compile Tuesday’s report, Ossoff staff interviewed dozens of witnesses and sources, including correctional staff, law enforcement officials, attorneys, detainees and their family members, doctors, and nurses.

Investigators also inspected six immigrant detention facilities, including three in Georgia: the Stewart Detention Center, the Folkston ICE Processing Center and the federal prison in Atlanta, which began holding ICE detainees last year.

In total, 137 of the more than 1,000 reports of abuse originated from facilities in Georgia, the fourth most behind Texas (179), Florida (168) and California (146).

The single most recurring kind of abuse documented by Ossoff’s office pertained to medical neglect, a practice that “reportedly led, in some cases, to life-threatening injuries and complications,” the report notes.

The report references the case of a detainee at an ICE facility who drank tap water that was contaminated with high levels of chlorine. The water reportedly caused an allegoric reaction and severe burns to the detainee’s throat and nasal passages. But the detainee was reportedly denied medical assistance for more than seven hours, and lost consciousness before being transferred to a clinic, according to the report.

Tuesday’s report also notes that investigators were able to find 181 credible reports of overcrowding and unsanitary conditions.

Credit: Ben Hendren

Credit: Ben Hendren

In the past year, the AJC reported on accounts of detainees being forced to sleep on the floor at Stewart because of overcrowding. The AJC has also reported on dozens of immigrants being detained for days in the basement of ICE’s Atlanta field office, despite that facility not being set up for long-term stays and lacking beds and showers.

Over the weekend, Ossoff said he will join other Senate Democrats in opposing a bill that includes billions of dollars in funding for the Department of Homeland Security and ICE. The opposition is in response to violent scenes emerging from Minnesota, where the administration has surged immigration enforcement.

“Massively deployed and ill-trained Federal forces are violating civil liberties with impunity and showing reckless disregard for life and property. Masked federal agents are detaining citizens without cause and raiding Americans’ homes without a judge’s warrant. A growing number of Americans have been assaulted or killed. This cannot be America. Democrats and Republicans alike must act to stop this spiraling chaos and protect our Constitutional rights,” Ossoff said in a statement.

Officials with U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff’s office say its investigation of ICE detention facilities found 1,037 credible reports of human rights abuses between Jan. 20, 2025 and Jan. 12, 2026. Those include: