"Detainees at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities may be more vulnerable to extreme heat exposure than people housed in federal, state and county prisons, according to a Washington Post analysis, and this disparity is likely to grow as ICE expands the nation’s immigration system.
The agency intends to nearly double the number of people it can hold from roughly 55,000 to more than 107,000 people by the end of this year, according to internal planning documents obtained by The Post.
Prisoners are especially vulnerable to heat risks given their holding conditions, experts say, and these plans could make the situation worse, because ICE detention centers experience disproportionately high temperatures, according to The Post’s analysis. The facilities endure an average of 29 days of dangerous heat per year — 11 more than other prisons at federal, state and county levels. The hottest 10 percent of ICE facilities experience an average of 93 days of unhealthy temperatures each year.
Elected officials, watchdog agencies, academic researchers and immigration advocates have frequently reported problems with air conditioning in detention centers, almost exclusively based on the accounts of detainees. Comprehensive data on internal temperatures in the facilities is not publicly available."
Amudalat Ajasa and Daniel Wolfe report for the Washington Post October 19, 2025.
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