Virginia ICE jails lead U.S. in solitary confinement use
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Virginia's immigrant detention centers have been locking people away in solitary confinement at some of the highest levels in the country, according to data provided exclusively to Axios.
The big picture: The practice — which often unfolds out of public view — has spanned multiple administrations.
- But it has increased both in use and documentation nationwide over the past few years, per a report by Harvard University researchers and Physicians for Human Rights.
Zoom in: Virginia's ICE facilities in Farmville and Caroline County have risen in national rank for placing more people in solitary confinement between 2023 and this past August.
- Both are now among the nation's top 10 for solitary confinement use despite being far smaller than other detention center sites in the U.S.
By the numbers: From April 2024 to August 2025, Virginia had 874 people in solitary confinement, per ICE data analyzed by researchers.
- That's 250 more people than what was recorded between Sept. 2018 and Sept. 2023.
Stunning stat: While Virginia's latest numbers aren't readily available, the state's solitary confinement placements lasted 34 days on average from 2018 to 2023, per data shared with Axios.
- The national average was 26 days in that time frame, per researchers.
- The United Nations says anything over 15 days constitutes psychological torture.
Between the lines: Arevik Avedian, a Harvard researcher and the report's coauthor, tells Axios that nationally, "vulnerable" populations — like those with mental health issues — are being placed in solitary for a longer period of time now than they were three years ago.
- The average was 38 days in the first three months of 2025.
- In 2021, it was 14 days, per the report.
Caveat: Researchers also warn that ICE data is typically incomplete, suggesting there could be an undercount of solitary confinement placements.
The other side: ICE maintains that it uses "administrative segregation," not solitary confinement, and only as a "last resort."
- Prisoner advocates have said "segregation" and "solitary" have few differences.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Axios Richmond that any allegation that ICE is "weaponizing" solitary confinement is "disgusting and false."
- She said ICE uses segregation only for safety or disciplinary reasons and argued that it has "higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons."
- McLaughlin added that detained immigrants "receive due process" before disciplinary custody and that ICE facilities are "regularly audited and inspected."
What we're watching: "The numbers that we are seeing are just the tip of the iceberg," Avedian says.