Three Arizona congressmembers are calling for immediate reforms at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Mesa after an unannounced inspection revealed what they described as dangerous overcrowding and inadequate care for detainees.
Representatives Greg Stanton (D-AZ), Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ), and Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) visited the ICE Arizona Removal Operations Coordination Center on the evening of April 9, 2026, and came away alarmed by what they found.
The facility, which was designed for short-term processing of fewer than 157 individuals, appeared to be holding far more with rooms built for 21 people, reportedly containing 40 to 50 detainees at a time.
"What we observed constitutes a failure to meet basic detention standards, raises serious legal and humanitarian concerns, and must be addressed immediately," the three lawmakers wrote in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and ICE Acting Director Lyons.
Additional Description
The representatives described detainees sleeping on bare concrete floors with no beds or bedding, conditions so cramped that people could not sit or move freely. They also flagged a lack of showers, insufficient toilet access, and limited drinking water, a concern they noted would become increasingly dangerous as Arizona heads into summer.
During their walk-through, detainees reportedly approached the lawmakers directly, asking for help obtaining basic sanitary products and flagging individuals who appeared visibly ill.
Perhaps most troubling to the lawmakers was the length of time people were being kept there. The facility is intended for holds of under 12 hours, but the congressmembers say detainees are regularly being kept for 72 hours or longer, a practice they called a "systemic misuse of the facility."
In their letter, the three demanded that ICE provide detention length data for the past year, explain how the facility complies with federal and state health and safety codes, and detail the steps being taken to isolate sick detainees and restore basic standards of care.
They set a deadline of April 24 for a written response, framing the oversight as a core congressional responsibility.
