Arizona Democrats call Mesa ICE facility conditions 'shameful' after surprise visit
Arizona Democrats make unannounced visit to ICE facility
Three Arizona Congress members made a surprise visit to an East Valley ICE facility on Thursday night. FOX 10's Danielle Miller has the details.
MESA, Ariz. - Three Arizona Democrats who made a surprise visit on Thursday night to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility at Mesa Gateway Airport say what they witnessed inside was "shameful" and "unacceptable."
"These people deserve better"
What they're saying:
Greg Stanton, Yassamin Ansari, and Adelita Grijalva showed up unannounced at the A-ROC facility at around 9:30 p.m. on April 9. They were allowed inside and were there for about an hour. When they came back out, they told the media what they saw was shocking, describing the holding cells as being crammed at double their capacity.
The Democrats said it was obvious that detainees were being held much longer than they are supposed to be. They also said that many detainees tried to speak with them about issues inside the facility, but after some brief conversations, they were no longer allowed to speak with them.
Close-up detail of a law enforcement agent is seen during a "National Shutdown" protest against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Los Angeles on January 30, 2026.
"People lying on the floor next to each other, side by side on a concrete floor," said Rep. Stanton "This is a facility that was meant for short-term stays as people await their flights for deportation. We now know that detainees are staying here for multiple days."
"It's unacceptable," Rep. Ansari said. "ICE is breaking every possible, any possible standard of human dignity that we should have in the United States of America, breaking laws left and right, no accountability, no oversight whatsoever.
"There's no way that we could treat animals like this," Grijalva said. "We, people would be outraged, but apparently it's fine to treat people this way. It's disgusting and we as a country, these people deserve better, and we need to do better."
Dig deeper:
The trio said they will not support funding for ICE when Congress returns next week to work on funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which has led to a partial government shutdown.
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What's next:
FOX 10 has reached out to ICE for a statement regarding the surprise visit and the comments made by the officials.
Map of Mesa Gateway Airport:
The Source: FOX 10 interviewed Greg Stanton, Yassamin Ansari and Adelita Grijalva for this report.