Homeland Security Calls Claims of Hungry Detainees Fake News

The agency responded to a news story that said illegal immigrants being held by ICE claim to be going hungry or being fed spoiled food.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents escort a defendant after a hearing at the Connecticut Superior Court in Stamford, Conn., on July 3, 2025. John Moore/Getty Images

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Monday denied claims in a news report that said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials were keeping detainees who were going hungry or were being given spoiled food while in custody.

“FAKE NEWS! Any claim that there is a lack of food or subprime conditions at ICE detention centers are FALSE,” DHS wrote in a post on social media platform X on July 14, responding to an NBC News report that made those allegations.

It included a screenshot of an NBC News report on Monday that said illegal immigrants being held by ICE have said they’re hungry or are being fed spoiled food. The article cited an unnamed former ICE official, as well as illegal immigrants and lawyers who have made those claims.

One detainee, Alfredo Parada Calderon of El Salvador, said that they are given flavorless meat that “looks like little, small pebbles, and that will be the ounces that they give you,” according to the report.

The DHS post, however, said that “all detainees are provided with proper meals, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers.”

“Meals are certified by dieticians,” the DHS post added. “Ensuring the safety, security, and well-being of individuals in our custody is a top priority at ICE.”

The reports come after some Florida Democratic lawmakers toured a state facility known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” saying it was crowded, unsanitary, and bug-infested. Republicans on the same tour said they saw nothing of the sort at the remote facility in the Everglades.

“There are really disturbing, vile conditions, and this place needs to be shut the hell down,” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) told reporters after visiting the conglomeration of tents, trailers, and temporary buildings this week. “This place is a stunt, and they’re abusing human beings here.”

Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons responded to the criticism in a Fox News interview on Monday, saying: “One thing that a lot of the elected officials need to realize is, this isn’t a resort in Florida.

“People aren’t coming to that location for a long-term stay. They’re there to just be housed so they can be removed from the country quickly. And like I said, I’ll always go back to, ICE prides itself on our detention standards, and I’m still going to stick with that with our partnership in the state of Florida.”

In June, President Donald Trump directed federal immigration officials to prioritize deportations from the most populated U.S. cities, which he said “are the core of the Democrat Power Center.”

Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social that ICE must “do all in their power to achieve the very important goal of delivering the single largest Mass Deportation Program in History.”

He added that to reach the goal, officials ”must expand efforts to detain and deport Illegal Aliens in America’s largest Cities, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, where Millions upon Millions of Illegal Aliens reside.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.