Report Details Conditions and Family Separations at Texas ICE Detention Centre

A new investigative report by France 24 has examined conditions inside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centre in Texas, as the United States continues an intensified immigration enforcement campaign under President Donald Trump.

According to the report, produced by journalists Valérie Defert and Pierrick Laurent, migrant arrests have surged sharply since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025. The report states that more than 610,000 people have passed through ICE-run detention centres in under two years.

The pace of arrests has continued to accelerate, the report says, citing nearly 51,000 arrests recorded in August 2026 alone — described as a record for Trump's second term.

The France 24 team travelled to Texas, which it characterises as the centre of the expanded US immigration detention system, to investigate who is being held in these facilities, the conditions detainees face, and the impact of mass deportation policy on families living in the country.

The report includes accounts of families affected by detentions, describing how relatives have been separated as enforcement operations have intensified. It also documents the experiences of detainees inside the Texas facility, including descriptions of daily conditions inside the centre.

France 24 presented the investigation as part of its Reporters programme, which focuses on in-depth field reporting on international issues.

The report does not specify the exact identity of every detainee interviewed or provide independent verification of all claims made by individuals inside the facility, though it presents first-hand testimony gathered by the reporting team.