ICE Detention Centers Meet the Definition of Concentration Camps, New Research Shows

The phrase "concentration camp" is loaded with historical horror, immediately evoking the Nazi Holocaust. But the term’s origins date back to late 19th century Spanish military tactics and have since been applied to various systems of civilian imprisonment worldwide. Now, rigorous academic research has identified four key characteristics that define concentration camp systems: targeting specific civilian groups for imprisonment, enclosed spaces controlled by the state, operation outside normal legal detention frameworks, and routine abuse and neglect.

According to this new peer-reviewed study, the network of over 240 active ICE detention centers across the United States meets these criteria. Migrants held in these facilities are forcibly confined without due process, often denied legal representation or fair trials, and subjected to squalid conditions including overcrowding, lack of healthcare, and psychological and physical abuse.

Since the start of Trump’s second term, detainees have filed more than 34,000 habeas corpus petitions challenging their unlawful confinement. Yet, the government’s response has largely been to double down on detention practices that mirror historic systems of repression used to isolate and control marginalized populations.

This research places ICE detention within a global pattern of concentration camps used as tools of ethnic cleansing, forced displacement, and political repression—from British camps in South Africa to Chinese internment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. While ICE facilities have not reached the genocidal scale of Nazi camps, the parallels in systemic abuse and denial of rights are stark and demand urgent public scrutiny.

The use of the term “concentration camp” here is not meant to dilute the Holocaust’s unique horror but to sound a clear alarm. Recognizing ICE detention centers as part of a broader history of state-sponsored mass imprisonment is critical to mobilizing meaningful policy change and preventing further atrocities under the guise of immigration enforcement.

This is not just about immigration policy; it is about fundamental human rights and the integrity of American democracy. We cannot afford to look away.