Former ICE Detainee Shares Experience of Detention Conditions in the US

Personal Experience with ICE Detention

• 🇫🇷 Julien Pereira, a 26-year-old French citizen, shares his experience of being detained by ICE for a month in March 2025.
• 💼 He was attempting to switch from a student visa to a work visa after being offered a job, having lived in the US for eight years and followed all procedures correctly.
• ✈️ When his employer informed him of an issue with his visa, he was told he needed to leave the country immediately, leading him to attempt to drive to the Canadian border.

Border Detention and Conditions

• 🛂 At the US border, Canada denied him entry, and he was subsequently detained by CBP, who he felt were cold and did not allow him to contact his lawyer or the consulate.
• 🧊 He describes the initial 3-day detention in a CBP cell as rough, with no bed, no windows, no phone, very little food, and no shower.
• ⚖️ He was informed he would either fly home or be detained by ICE, awaiting a judge's decision.

ICE Detention and Treatment

• 😔 Pereira describes feeling like an animal during his detention, despite having no criminal record, always paying taxes, and renewing his visas on time.
• 🧑‍⚖️ He notes that while some officers seemed sympathetic, they stated it was simply procedure.
• 🗣️ He was in a large unit with 80-120 other detainees, where agents were scarce and seemed indifferent to their situation.

Broader Implications and Future

• 🌍 Pereira believes that ICE tactics might be employed by other Western democracies if political polarization increases, expressing hope that this does not happen.
• 🇺🇸 He maintains he loves America and wishes to return, but is currently banned from re-entry for an unknown period (3-5 years).
• 😥 His American friends, many of whom are also navigating visa or green card processes, are reportedly "freaking out" due to these experiences.