US EditionWhen immigration detention becomes a system of concentration: Lessons from research on 150 historical cases
Researchers say more than 240 ICE facilities hold at least 60,000 people in a system marked by restricted exits, due process gaps and abuse.
- University of Arizona researcher Alex Braithwaite and Louisiana State University's Rachel D. Van Nostrand argue U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities fit the definition of a concentration camp system based on peer-reviewed analysis.
- The scholars developed a four-part framework identifying characteristics including targeting civilians, enclosed spaces with restricted exit, departure from standard detention practices, and purposeful abuse or neglect.
- Data indicates more than 240 active ICE facilities exist as of April 2026, with a 36% decline in mandated inspections by the Office of Detention Oversight; more than 70% of migrants held had no criminal conviction.
- Migrants have filed more than 34,000 habeas corpus petitions challenging confinement without trial since Trump's second term began, while access to facilities remains restricted for journalists, family members, and members of Congress.
- Researchers argue that identifying such systems early helps translate the promise of "never again" into policy action, as concentration camps often shift from transient emergency measures to permanent state functions.
21 Articles
21 Articles
When immigration detention becomes a system of concentration
Barbed wire surrounds the GEO Group ICE detention facility in Adelanto, Calif. on July 10, 2025. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images Alex Braithwaite, University of Arizona and Rachel D. Van Nostrand, Louisiana State University The phrase “concentration camp” is freighted with dark historical meaning. Most people hear it and instinctively think of concentration camps used by the Nazis to exterminate Jews and other minority populations during …
The Conversation
When immigration detention becomes a system of concentration: Lessons from research on 150 historical cases
Barbed wire surrounds the GEO Group ICE detention facility in Adelanto, Calif. on July 10, 2025. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty ImagesThe phrase “concentration camp” is freighted with dark historical meaning. Most people hear it and instinctively think of concentration camps used by the Nazis to exterminate Jews and other minority populations during the Holocaust. But the use and name of concentration camps originated far earlier. In the late 1…
When immigration detention turns into a machine of focus: Classes from analysis on 150 ancient circumstances
The word “concentration camp” is freighted with darkish ancient that means. The general public listen it and instinctively recall to mind focus camps utilized by the Nazis to exterminate Jews and different minority populations right through the Holocaust. However the use and title of focus camps originated some distance previous. Within the past due 1800s, Spanish army officers used focus camps – reconcentrados – right through their 1896–97 Cuba…
When immigration detention becomes a system of concentration: Lessons from research on 150 historical cases
by Alex Braithwaite, University of Arizona and Rachel D. Van Nostrand, Louisiana State University, [This article first appeared in The Conversation, republished with permission] The phrase “concentration camp” is freighted with dark historical meaning. Most people hear it and instinctively think of concentration camps used by the Nazis to exterminate Jews and other minority populations during the Holocaust. But the use and name of concentration …
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