Journalist Philip Eil, writing for SteveAhlquist.news, reports on a February 17, 2026 inspection visit by U.S. Representative Seth Magaziner to the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls, Rhode Island — the first such congressional visit to the facility since the start of Donald Trump’s second term. In a phone interview conducted February 20, 2026, Magaziner described spending approximately two hours inside the facility and said he was most troubled by his sense that many of the people being held did not need to be detained.

Journalist Steve Ahlquist reports that advocacy group AMOR held a protest and press conference outside the Wyatt Detention Center in Rhode Island, drawing roughly 60 attendees. FOIA requests obtained by AMOR researchers revealed records of contaminated drinking water at the facility, corroborating detainee reports of illness including stomachaches, nausea, and diarrhea. Organizers called on state legislators to pass legislation ending immigrant detention in Rhode Island.

Steve Ahlquist and Philip Eil, writing in SteveAhlquist.news, report on a New Year’s Eve demonstration held outside the Wyatt Detention Facility organized by several Rhode Island advocacy groups including PSL Rhode Island, AMOR, PrYSM, ARISE, and DARE. Organizers called for the facility’s closure, alleging that detained individuals are subjected to deprivation of medications, limited access to clean water, inadequate clothing and blankets, unsanitary living conditions, and punitive use of solitary confinement when they raise complaints. The groups contend that such conditions are deliberately designed to pressure people into signing voluntary deportation agreements.

We-Ha | West Hartford News reports that on June 29, 2026, U.S. Representative John Larson held a press conference in West Hartford calling for the release of Seyo Cecunjanin, a local resident and business owner taken into ICE custody. Cecunjanin’s son Emir spoke at the event, which drew community support.