In recent years, detention facilities holding inmates without a fair trial and known for abuse, such as Guantanamo Bay, have received attention and scrutiny from Muslims. Similarly, the Transportation Security Administration has received significant attention related to the air travel policies of the Department of Homeland Security ("DHS"). However, sparse attention has been given to the conditions faced by those in immigration detention facilities associated with another branch of DHS, Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE"). ICE was formed to enforce federal laws related to border control and immigration.

Over the last decade, the privatization of immigration detention facilities has corresponded with a dramatic increase in the number of ICE detainees. ICE now holds over 30,000 individuals in immigration detention daily in states located near the U.S.-Mexico border. According to ICE, the detainees are held to attend their immigration hearings and to not endanger the community during the removal process. However, because the detainees lack legal status in the U.S., they are highly susceptible to violations of US and international law.

During the past decade, stories of abuse and misconduct by ICE personnel are common. Over 100 individuals have died in ICE detention since 2003. According to documents obtained by human rights organizations through Freedom of Information Act requests, many of these deaths were because of the poor treatment and conditions faced by the individuals in ICE facilities. Allegations of sexual abuse are also common as the requirements of the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 do not affect immigration detention facilities. While the average immigration detainee is detailed 30 days, detention can last for years without due process or basic human rights protections..

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