Families, legal advocates, and detainees are raising the alarm over unsanitary and overcrowded conditions at the ICE field office in Burlington, Massachusetts. Multiple firsthand accounts describe immigrant detainees being held in makeshift holding cells—designed for short stays—under subpar conditions, including sleeping on wet bathroom floors and going without beds, blankets, or adequate hygiene facilities.
Nexan Aroldo Asenico and Christina Maria Toledo.
1. Detainees Forced into Makeshift Cells
The Burlington office serves primarily for administrative intake, not long-term detention. However, recent ICE raids in Massachusetts have overwhelmed the system. Lawyer Derege Demissie revealed that detainees are squeezed into cramped cells with little room to breathe, some sharing a single toilet and given only flimsy mylar blankets .
One man, Nexan Aroldo Asencio, was reported to have slept on a continuously wet bathroom floor among many others, as confirmed by his wife, Christina Maria Toledo, during a USA TODAY interview .
2. Human Rights Concerns Escalate
Advocates emphasize the severity of conditions described as “abysmal” and “inhumane.” NBC Boston reports immigrants were held “hungry, cold and terrified,” with no access to showers or proper hygiene facilities . Holding 40 men in one cell, including high school student Marcelo Gomes da Silva, who spent six days there, sparked further alarm. Da Silva says he slept on concrete floors and used restrooms in view of others, calling the conditions “humiliating” .
3. ICE Responds With Denials
ICE officials maintain that Burlington is meant only for short-term stays during intake, and that detainees receive food, showers, phone access, and medical care. They acknowledge occasional extensions but emphasize transfers are standard procedure .
4. Overcrowding Driven by Mass Arrests
Nearly 1,500 arrests occurred during May raids, far exceeding the facility’s capacity . With only one local ICE facility—the Plymouth County jail—available for longer detentions, the Burlington office became an unintended overflow site.
5. Federal Judges and Legal Advocacy
Lawyers have taken action, petitioning courts for detainees’ release. Notably, a federal judge ordered Marcelo da Silva’s release on $2,000 bond, citing harmful conditions and noting Burlington is inappropriately used for long-term confinement .
6. Broader Context of ICE Detention
This situation mirrors a national pattern of overcrowded and unsanitary conditions in it facilities. ACLU and Amnesty International have documented similar practices, including lack of basic sanitation, medical neglect, and human rights violations . Even private facilities contracted by it have faced criticism for inhumane conditions .
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Why This Matters
- Human rights risk: Holding people in substandard conditions raises public health and constitutional concerns.
- Systemic strain: Local facilities are overwhelmed by immigration enforcement goals, not designed for detention.
- Pressure on it: These reports increase scrutiny on it practices and may prompt judicial intervention.
- Need for reform: Advocates call for clear timelines, capacity limits, and improved conditions to protect detainees.
What Should Happen Next
Attorney Robin Nice, speaking to the media after her client, Marcelo Gomes Da Silva was released on bond from the Burlington center. (Meagan McGinnes-Bessey/WBUR)
- Immediate transfers: Urgent relocation of detainees to appropriate facilities.
- Facility standards: Enforce compliance with it’s Performance-Based National Detention Standards.
- Judicial oversight: Courts should continue reviewing detention conditions, providing relief as needed.
- Policy reform: Congress may consider oversight measures and constraints on the use of administrative facilities for detention.
This disturbing situation in Burlington presents a stark reminder of a national issue: immigration enforcement without proper infrastructure puts vulnerable individuals at risk. Ensuring humane and constitutionally sound treatment is critical—not only for the immigrants detained but for the integrity of the system itself.
