Overview

The Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Berlin, New Hampshire — a medium-security federal prison in one of the state’s northernmost cities — began housing ICE immigration detainees in early 2025 under a DHS-BOP interagency agreement. It is one of five federal prisons nationwide repurposed for ICE detention under this contract.

Key Details

• Location: Berlin, NH (Coos County) — remote North Country location
• Facility type: Medium-security federal prison repurposed for immigration detention
• Operator: Federal Bureau of Prisons, housing ICE detainees under interagency agreement
• Population: 204 ICE detainees as of Dec 11, 2025 (up from ~100 in April 2025)
• Detainee profile: 80% classified as non-criminal detainees — civil immigration violations only
• Part of: Five-prison BOP-ICE contract (also Miami, Atlanta, Leavenworth, Philadelphia)

Concerns

• Isolation: Berlin is one of the northernmost cities in New Hampshire, far from legal services, family, and advocacy organizations
• Non-criminal population in a prison: 80% of detainees face civil, not criminal, charges — yet are held in a medium-security federal prison
• ACLU investigation: ACLU of New Hampshire launched investigation in February 2025 after initial reports; confirmed detainees present by April 2025

Growth Trajectory

The ICE detainee population in New Hampshire doubled between mid-2025 and late 2025:

• April 2025: ~100+ ICE detainees at FCI Berlin (ACLU-NH estimate)
• November 10, 2025: 198 immigration detainees at FCI Berlin
• December 11, 2025: 204 ICE detainees at FCI Berlin

Combined with Strafford County’s 143 detainees, NH held 347 ICE detainees as of Dec 11, 2025.

Transfer Pipeline & Conditions (2026 reporting)

Berlin’s remoteness — 119 miles north of Concord, 187 miles north of Boston — makes it a destination for long-distance ICE transfers out of southern New England, far from detainees’ families and counsel.

• “D,” a Guatemalan man who lived in Providence, RI for 20 years, was moved from the Wyatt Detention Center (Central Falls, RI) to FCI Berlin in November 2025, ~10 days after detention. He reported being woken around 3 a.m. with no notice, transported in a cramped van with handcuffs “tight enough to draw blood, leaving scars,” and winter air coming through the back door.
• Attorneys filed 130+ habeas corpus cases in the U.S. District Court for Rhode Island in 2026 (vs. just 5 in all of 2024), reflecting the surge in out-of-state ICE transfers including to Berlin.
• National context: by end of Nov 2025, ICE was using 104 additional detention facilities (a 91% increase) with a five-fold rise in transfers exceeding 1,000 miles.

Timeline

• February 2025: DHS and BOP sign contract for five federal prisons to hold ICE detainees; Berlin included
• February 24-25, 2025: Reports emerge that Berlin prison will house 500+ ICE detainees; community pushback begins
• February 25, 2025: ACLU-NH begins investigating reports of ICE detainee housing at Berlin
• April 22, 2025: BOP confirms Berlin is one of five prisons being used by ICE
• November 2025: Population reaches 198; Boston Globe reports NH detainee numbers have doubled; RI man “D” transferred to Berlin in a cramped 3 a.m. van run
• December 11, 2025: 204 ICE detainees confirmed at Berlin
• 2026 (year-to-date): 130+ habeas petitions filed in RI federal court over transfers, including to Berlin
• April 29, 2026: NHPR/Ocean State Media detail abusive long-distance transfer conditions into Berlin

Sources

• Plan to house hundreds of ICE detainees in Berlin draws pushback — Boston Globe (Feb 24, 2025)
• Confirmed: Berlin federal prison housing ICE detainees — Boston Globe (Apr 22, 2025)
• ACLU-NH confirms FCI Berlin already jailing ICE detainees — ACLU-NH
• Number of ICE detainees housed in NH has doubled — Boston Globe (Dec 1, 2025)
• ACLU of NH investigating reports — WBUR (Feb 25, 2025)
• FCI Berlin — ICE Detention Facility page
• He built a life in Rhode Island. ICE moved him out of state overnight — NHPR / Ocean State Media (Apr 29, 2026)