detention center
noun
1
: a place where people who have entered a country illegally are kept for a period of time
2
: a place where people who have committed crimes are kept as punishment
She spent several months in a detention center for women.
a juvenile detention center
Examples of detention center in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
She has been detained in the Aurora detention center since March, when she was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at her work.
—
Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2025
Precisely $6,370 in phone calls to the detention center.
—Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 21 Dec. 2025
In Texas this year, the private prison company CoreCivic reopened a shuttered ICE detention center in Dilley.
—Meg Anderson, NPR, 18 Dec. 2025
Arianne Betancourt broke down while speaking about her father, Justo Betancourt, who is now being held at an immigration detention center.
—Ivan Taylor, CBS News, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detention center
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Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2025
Precisely $6,370 in phone calls to the detention center.
—Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 21 Dec. 2025
In Texas this year, the private prison company CoreCivic reopened a shuttered ICE detention center in Dilley.
—Meg Anderson, NPR, 18 Dec. 2025
Arianne Betancourt broke down while speaking about her father, Justo Betancourt, who is now being held at an immigration detention center.
—Ivan Taylor, CBS News, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detention center
Cite this Entry
“Detention center.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/detention%20center. Accessed 24 Dec. 2025.
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