ICE Detentions Surge at the Metropolitan Detention Center

By Y.M. Lowy

Immigration detention at MDC Brooklyn, the federal jail located just minutes from Boro Park, climbed sharply in November. ICE data shows the average daily population jumped from about 25 people in October to 111 in November, with most detainees not convicted of any major crime.

ICE began using the facility as an immigration detention center in June, and the numbers have risen every month since. The jail has long faced scrutiny for poor conditions, and a federal judge once described it as “contemptuous of human life and dignity.”

The spike reflects a national trend. By mid-November, immigration detention reached a record high of 65,735 people. Detention counts at Delaney Hall in Newark also more than tripled last month.