New this week from Solitary Watch:

In an article co-published with The Nation, Solitary Watch’s Francisco Rodriguez examines the increased use of solitary confinement in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers under the Trump administration. “The spike in solitary confinement epitomizes the abuses of a migrant detention system that seems to be spinning out of control,” he writes, with numbers of detained and isolated people more than doubled, and abuses and deaths in detention also exploding. Rodriguez highlights the story of Angel Lemus-Linares, a 32-year-old migrant from El Salvador, and the abuse he experienced from ICE agents while in prolonged, unjustified solitary. Solitary Watch

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Solitary Watch has updated the ninth in our series of fact sheets, which offer facts, analysis, and resources on a variety of topics related to solitary confinement in U.S. prisons, jails, and immigrant and juvenile facilities. This fact sheet, titled “Solitary Confinement in Immigrant Detention,” was written by Solitary Watch Editorial and Project Assistant Francisco Rodriguez, who this week also authored an article on the topic co-published by Solitary Watch and The Nation. As the fact sheet notes, “though ICE has employed solitary for years, its use has skyrocketed under the second Trump administration.” Solitary Watch

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This week’s pick of news and commentary about solitary confinement:

It took 20 minutes for an ambulance to arrive and administer life-saving efforts after Denny Adan Gonzalez was found unresponsive in his solitary cell. When an ICE detention guard called 911 for emergency assistance, it took over two minutes for the operator to even grasp that Gonzalez had attempted suicide. A fireman drove his own personal vehicle to the ICE Stewart Detention Center in Georgia, where Gonzalez was pronounced dead. “In certain situations, like a cardiac arrest or stroke, the first 10 minutes is critical,” notes Dr. Amy Zeidan, an immigration detention health care researcher. This has been a common pattern across other deaths in ICE custody, with similar situations happening in 2023 and 2024. Atlanta Community Press Collective

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Xiaoman Ding suffered from a diagnosed brain tumor that caused terrible headaches. While detained at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in California, she asked for medical treatment for her condition and was given Tylenol and ibuprofen. After sharing that her pain was so unbearable that she wanted to take her own life, she was placed in solitary confinement instead of receiving assistance. Ding’s story was one of many highlighted in a private lawsuit filed in January aimed at improving conditions in the detention center. LAist

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A man was deported after speaking to two U.S. congresswomen about inhumane conditions at an immigrant detention center in Michigan. Sana Atou was the only English-speaking male detainee that either congresswoman was permitted to speak with during their visit to the detention center. Atou told them about his experience being isolated for several weeks in a room “so cold he couldn’t feel his toes and that his guards were throwing his food into the cell.” ICE claims the deportation was scheduled “well in advance” of the congressional visit, but Atou’s lawyer believes “it was retaliation for him talking to the Congresspeople… due to the fact that his [case] was still pending.” Detroit Free Press

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Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry’s 2026-2027 budget proposal includes nearly $50 million in federal funds for a new immigration detention center at Louisiana State Penitentiary Angola. Most of these funds are intended to renovate and increase the capacity of Camp 57—a notoriously heinous solitary confinement unit—which would cost approximately $949,000 per month to house 208 detainees. Verite News

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In November and December 2025, special education teachers in New York’s Salmon River Central School District confined at least five children with disabilities in wooden boxes. The district, which includes the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation, referred to the wooden boxes as timeout ‘stations,’ but never notified parents of their use. “It was so unfathomable that our children were seeing these boxes and hearing children screaming in these boxes,” said parent and St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Chief Michael Conners. An eight-year-old Mohawk child, whose grandmother had been sent to a residential school, told his father, “if you are angry or if you are sad, [the box]  is where you go.” NPR

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There is only one woman on death row in Mississippi, and she made the brave choice to speak out about her time spent in extensive isolation. After an article was published comparing her experiences with men on death row, Lisa Jo Chamberlin’s regular contacts were unable to reach her for several months. Chamberlain’s goddaughter sent a letter to many legal organizations and federal agencies, hoping some of the restrictions would be eased. “Her conditions are not the result of isolated incidents but reflect an ongoing pattern of unequal treatment, neglect, and punitive practices that are not applied to male death-row prisoners,” her goddaughter wrote. Mississippi Today

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Former Smith State Prison Warden Brian Adams accepted money in exchange for moving a known gang member out of solitary confinement and allowing contraband trafficking. Adams was recently indicted for his role in smuggling in contraband, which included burying prison shanks and contraband cell phones in his own backyard to obstruct the investigation. Fox Atlanta

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Action Alert: 

SF DocFest will feature the world premiere of The End of Isolation on May 31 at 2:15 PM PST at the Vogue Theater in San Francisco. The film delves into the story of formerly incarcerated activists and how they are reimagining justice to build a more human future. Filmmaker Sarah Shourd, herself a solitary survivor, will be going live on Substack at 11 am PST on May 22 to answer questions and discuss the film. Tickets are required to attend the premiere, which will be followed by an after-party celebration. SF DocFest | Substack

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