ICE detainees use jail video calls to reveal Folkston conditions
Four men detained at the Folkston ICE Processing Center in Georgia used the facility's video conferencing system to record a five-minute video about conditions and the immigration court system. One detainee said workers earn $1 a day, enough for a 10-minute phone call, and he has been held for 27 months. The video describes privately run facilities profiting from prolonged detention.
Four men held at Folkston ICE Processing Center in rural Georgia recorded a five-minute message through the facility’s video conferencing system. One, Idris Makhmudov, said detainee workers receive $1 daily, enough for a ten-minute call, and that he had been confined there for 27 months. The video argues that privately operated detention facilities benefit from long stays.
The site previously served as a prison. An Atlanta immigration attorney, Samantha Hamilton, said she got the video through a Signal chat and that those featured were placed in segregation. Later, 45 detainees signed an open letter, and about 73 reportedly began a hunger strike.
This account could draw more attention to communication technology and labor conditions inside immigration detention, affecting detainees, their families, and legal advocates who rely on calls and video to organize. It may also intensify scrutiny of private detention operators and ICE oversight, though the immediate effect on policy or court outcomes remains uncertain. Retaliation concerns could discourage others from speaking out, while wider attention may shape how the facility is viewed by regulators and the public.