For most of the people who get detained, their story seems to end the moment they are handcuffed by ICE agents. However, there are a few who manage to be released and come forward to share what really happened behind those walls. One 25-year-old California man who calls himself Hamza became one of the people ICE agents targeted back in 2025. The California man said he was arrested by ICE last September and spent almost five months in two different detention centers. He was released just a couple of weeks ago after winning his case and having his removal proceedings officially terminated.
The situation began after the California man got into a dispute with his landlords, who decided to call ICE on him. He said he was detained by four masked ICE agents in plain clothes while he was simply trying to check his mailbox.
During Hamza’s detention, he applied twice for bond and was denied both times. The California man explained that he entered the United States legally almost a decade ago and had no criminal charges that would justify ICE targeting him.
Because of the detention, he missed an entire semester of school, became physically and mentally ill, became homeless, and lost his job. To make matters worse, his landlords threw away all of his belongings after he was detained by ICE agents. Everything he owned was gone by the time he was released.
After regaining his freedom, the California man went on Reddit and hosted an AMA where users could ask him about his experience inside ICE detention centers. Many people expressed shock over what Hamza described. One user wrote, “You lost all your belongings, including pictures and memories that no money can ever replace? That’s awful!”
When asked what daily life was like inside the facility, Hamza described a strict and repetitive routine. He said he woke up at 5 a.m., ate breakfast, and then cleaned the pod around 7 a.m. Cleaning duties were rotated, usually between two or three people at a time. Lunch was served around 11 a.m., and dinner at 6 p.m. At some point in the afternoon, detainees were allowed outside to the yard for one hour. The rest of the day was spent locked inside the pod. There was little to do besides read, play cards, watch TV, or work on preparing legal paperwork for their cases.
When asked what a pod was, the California man explained that it is like a large studio-style space that includes beds, shared bathrooms, tables for eating, and a television. Pods typically hold anywhere from 10 to 35 people at a time.
The California man said that although detainees were given three meals a day, the food was poor and the portions were very small. According to him, they were fed just enough to survive. Each person was given a very thin mattress that made sleeping painful. He said there were times he had to take pain medication because of the discomfort from lying on it every night.
Hamza also explained that while detainees technically have access to phones, they must pay to use them. Phone hours typically run from 6 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. He added that when detainees are transferred to another facility, they are not told in advance where they are being taken. They simply wait until they arrive at the new location and then try to contact their families or friends.
After losing everything due to his detention by ICE agents, the California man said he is hoping that people online might help him with small donations so he can rebuild his life. He has set up a GoFundMe, which at the time of writing has raised over $2,000.
