Detained migrants forced to pay inflated commissary prices as hunger persists in ICE centers
Migrants in ICE detention facilities are spending hundreds of dollars each month on overpriced commissary items to supplement inadequate meals, leading to weight loss and illness.
Reports from multiple California ICE detention centers describe a pattern of substandard meals that leave detainees hungry and dependent on expensive commissary purchases, including instant noodles, sardines and soft drinks. Because inmates cannot carry cash, they rely on money sent by family, often spending $100-$150 weekly on supplemental food, while some take on menial jobs that pay only a dollar per day. Contractors such as Trinity Food Services run the commissaries with little oversight, allowing prices to soar up to three times those in supermarkets.
Activists and legal advocates say the practice contributes to significant weight loss and health problems among detainees. In response, a bill introduced by Senator Steve Padilla seeks to limit price gouging by capping mark-ups at 35% above cost, and it cleared the California Senate in May. ICE and private operators have declined to comment on commissary revenues, though the companies running the facilities reported billions in quarterly earnings linked to stricter immigration enforcement.
Why it matters
It reveals how detention policies can create profit-driven exploitation that harms vulnerable migrants' health.
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