U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operates 14 holding rooms across California that function like unofficial detention facilities, according to data obtained through the Freedom of Information Act by the Deportation Data Project and analyzed by Colorado Times Recorder.
Across the nation, ICE uses a total of 170 such holding rooms, according to the Colorado Times Recorder.
Holding rooms have been used since 2011, typically as temporary holding facilities for people made to wait for transport to detention centers. A waiver issued by the Department of Homeland Security in June extended the time limit for detentions in hold rooms to be increased from twelve hours to three days, with an exception for rooms located in detention centers, which remain at a twelve-hour limit.
Holding rooms operate with different standards than detention centers and are not required to have beds or toilets. The rooms in these facilities are described as small, concrete spaces, lacking privacy, and holding multiple people, as reported by The Guardian.