New evidence shows that people in custody still face overcrowding and denial of medical care.

BALTIMORE, MD (September 17, 2026) – Today, the US District Court for the District of Maryland heard arguments on the violations of a preliminary injunction intended to protect people detained at the Baltimore Hold Rooms (BHR) and requiring US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to end unconstitutional and inhumane conditions there. The court issued that order on March 6. ICE’s own records show it has broken the order repeatedly since then.

At the hearing, the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights and the National Immigration Project presented new evidence showing that ICE repeatedly and widely failed to comply with critical provisions of the court’s preliminary injunction. That evidence came from ICE’s own cell logs and from sworn declarations by people held at the Baltimore Hold Rooms after the order took effect. Among the findings:

  • Persistent overcrowding: The court’s preliminary injunction provided that individuals were entitled to 31 square feet of personal space to avoid the “grossly overcrowded and unsanitary” conditions that violate their constitutional rights. Despite this clear order, a data expert analyzed ICE’s cell logs and determined that holding cells at the BHR were overcrowded on 67% of days between March 7 and June 30, 2026, the period for which data was produced. These were not isolated or momentary violations. According to the analysis, overcrowding conditions persisted for 1,588 hours during that period. 
  • Failure to provide medications: ICE also failed to provide people in the hold rooms with consistent access to both prescription and over-the-counter medications, violating the Court’s preliminary order requiring prompt access to both. The consequences of this failure are obvious and severe. For example, one declarant was hospitalized after being denied prescribed medication for diabetes and hypertension. Even after being discharged from the hospital and returned to BHR, he did not receive his prescribed medications for several additional days.
  • Failure to provide notice of rights: The court’s order requires ICE to give every person written notice of their rights, in English and Spanish, within one hour of arrival. Counsel have not spoken with a single person who received such notice. ICE has never produced a copy of the notice.

“The Court’s preliminary injunction was issued to address the dangerous and unlawful conditions at the Baltimore Hold Room and ensure that our class members’ constitutional rights were protected,” said Amelia Dagen, from the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights. “Yet this evidence shows that people continue to be subjected to overcrowded cells and denied access to essential medical care. No one should be forced to endure conditions that put their health and safety at risk while in government custody.”

“Six months ago a judge ordered ICE to stop treating people this way,” said Yulie Landan, Staff Attorney at the National Immigration Project, and part of Plaintiff’s counsel. “ICE disregarded that court order and went right on packing people into cells and neglecting their health. This is an agency with little regard for human life, treating the people it cages like inventory. We will keep fighting it in court to force it to comply.” 

The Baltimore Hold Rooms have drawn concerns about detention conditions and the treatment of people held at the facility for months, which represents a fundamental violation of constitutional and human rights. Without immediate court intervention to ensure compliance with the Court’s preliminary injunction, people will continue to suffer in facilities ICE itself has deemed unsuitable for anything beyond short-term use. Plaintiffs are asking the court to order immediate compliance, sworn compliance declarations from ICE’s Field Office Director, weekly reporting under penalty of contempt, and continued production of cell data. They have told the court that an independent monitor may ultimately be necessary. This lawsuit is part of broader efforts by the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights and the National Immigration Project to challenge systemic abuses in the immigration detention system and ensure individuals are treated with dignity and fairness under the law.

Plaintiffs in the case include two long-time Maryland residents who were detained at a routine ICE check-in and subjected to these unconstitutional conditions. The lawsuit names the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ICE, the Attorney General, and key officials responsible for overseeing detention operations as defendants. Plaintiffs assert multiple legal claims, including violations of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and due process protections under the U.S. Constitution.