Internal ICE Records Expose Rampant Use of Force in Detention Centers

Internal records obtained by Red Lake Nation News lay bare the widespread use of force in ICE detention centers, spotlighting a brutal reality for immigrant detainees held under inhumane conditions. One harrowing account comes from Pedro Cantú Ríos, a 68-year-old detainee in an Alaska facility, who described how guards unleashed chemical agents into a communal lunchroom after detainees complained about being denied access to their personal belongings.

According to interviews and documents, guards arrived en masse wielding gun-like devices that fired plastic spheres. These spheres burst on impact, releasing clouds of orange chemical dust that filled the room and choked the detainees. Cantú Ríos and others were trapped in cramped, windowless cells with no access to their possessions, fueling frustration that was met with aggressive force rather than humane treatment.

This incident is not isolated. The internal ICE records reveal a pattern of excessive force used to control detainees, often in response to minor grievances or expressions of distress. The use of chemical agents and physical intimidation in confined spaces raises serious civil rights concerns and highlights the lack of oversight in a rapidly expanding, for-profit detention system.

These revelations come amid ongoing criticism of ICE’s detention practices, including reports of deaths in custody, family separations, and systemic neglect. The documented use of force underscores the urgent need for transparency, independent investigations, and reforms to protect the dignity and rights of those detained.

ICE’s aggressive tactics are part of a broader pattern of authoritarian overreach and disregard for basic human rights that we have consistently tracked. This latest evidence demands immediate attention from policymakers and the public alike. We cannot allow the Trump administration’s legacy of cruelty and impunity to continue unchecked in America’s immigration detention centers.