For months, detainees at the Krome Detention Center in Miami-Dade County have denounced inhumane conditions, overcrowding, and alleged mistreatment by guards. On Thursday, tensions escalated when a group of Cuban detainees staged a protest in the facility's recreational yard to oppose deportation to third countries including Libya, El Salvador and South Sudan.
Dozens of detainees formed a large "SOS" sign, which was captured from the air by local media outlets such as Telemundo 51 and NBC 6.
🇺🇸🇨🇺 | ÚLTIMA HORA — Inmigrantes detenidos en Krome, al sur de Miami, forman una gigantesca señal de SOS. pic.twitter.com/eWuIdl0Y8h
— UHN Plus (@UHN_Plus) June 5, 2025
Speaking by phone from inside the facility, one Cuban detainee told reporters that the protest stemmed from fear of being transferred to other detention centers — or, in some cases, deported to dangerous countries. Another detainee said the group was preparing to begin a hunger strike.
"It's an injustice," one protester told the Miami Herald. "We don't want to be moved to another prison."
Another detainee who witnessed the demonstration but did not participate fearing retaliation in his immigration case said he supported the protest and pleaded with President Donald Trump and local officials to "have a change of heart."
Protesters sat on the ground and refused to return indoors. Witnesses said the standoff led to violent confrontations between some detainees and guards.
"They're fighting them," one detainee said by phone while watching from his room. Another protester confirmed the clashes, saying, "The abuse doesn't stop."
Located 22 miles west of downtown Miami, Krome has been the subject of national scrutiny in recent months over reports of unsafe conditions and severe overcrowding.
According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) data released May 12, about 800 people were detained at the facility. However, U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who toured Krome on May 29, said the number was closer to 1,100, with tents built to control the overflow.
Earlier this year, two deaths were reported at the facility. The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner's Office ruled both deaths "natural," but a Miami Herald investigation raised concerns about medical care provided at the facility.
In February, Maksym Chernyak, a Ukrainian national, suffered a stroke and reports indicated it took more than 40 minutes for staff to call 911. A month earlier, Genry Ruiz-Guillén, a Honduran national, died of "complications of schizoaffective disorder," according to the immigration detention center.
Further investigations revealed that Ruiz-Guillen had been held for more than a month at Krome, where he suffered from seizures and confusion before being admitted to a hospital.
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