A federal judge has ordered new limits on the number of detainees that can be held at the Baltimore ICE detention facility. The ruling is part of an ongoing legal case examining detention conditions and federal immigration enforcement policies.
Legal documents reveal that individuals are currently detained in what are referred to as “Baltimore Hold Rooms,” which have been ruled unconstitutional due to their conditions, violating the Fifth Amendment rights of those detained.
Documents from the court claim that over 50% of detainees found themselves in these rooms during instances when the facility surpassed its maximum capacity of 56 individuals. On one particularly alarming occasion, the detainee count soared to 123, exceeding the prescribed maximum by more than 200%.
At its full capacity, reports indicate that each detainee occupies merely 10 square feet of space—an area comparable to that of a baby crib or a bath towel.
Additionally, the treatment of detainees has come under scrutiny. Various sworn statements describe situations where critical medications were denied, including treatments for serious health conditions such as leukemia, HIV, diabetes, and hypertension.
According to reports, the holding rooms lacked windows, clocks, or calendars, and detainees were deprived of outdoor access, television, or any form of recreational materials.
The judge has ordered immediate improvements to these conditions and has capped the facility’s occupancy at no more than 56 detainees across its five holding cells.
This ruling follows previous complaints regarding the facility’s treatment of detainees. In March 2025, an immigrant rights organization based in DC and Baltimore reported firsthand accounts detailing the poor conditions, overpopulation, and prolonged detention times at the George Fallon Building.
Eric Lopez, the deputy program director at the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, described grotesque conditions, stating that individuals were forced to sleep on the floors without blankets in cramped rooms.
“These conditions are inhumane,” he remarked. “No individual, immigrant or otherwise, should be treated this way. It’s crucial to remember that immigration detention is a civil matter, not part of the criminal justice system.”
The complete court ruling is available for review below:
