Representatives Greg Stanton (D-AZ) and Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ) made a second unannounced visit to an immigration detention facility at Mesa Gateway Airport Tuesday night, finding modest improvements in crowding but a string of alleged persistent health and safety concerns that they say remain unacceptable.
The two Phoenix Democrats toured the Arizona Removal Operations Coordination Center, an ICE holding facility tucked inside a 25,000-square-foot building on the airport grounds. Designed to hold 157 people for no more than 12 hours, the facility has operated far beyond those limits for much of this year, reaching a single-day population of 777.
Tuesday's numbers were lower than their previous visit, where Ansari described the detainees to the Arizona Mirror as packed into cells "like sardines." Both lawmakers credited sustained public pressure for the improvement.
"I was relieved to see that this time the number of people at the facility was at the right level," Ansari said. "That would not have happened if it wasn't for so much public pressure."
Continued Problems
However, serious problems remain. Some cells still exceeded the listed capacity. There is no on-site medical staff; ICE agents confirmed EMS had been called at least once in the past week. Toilets regularly overflow. There are no showers. Detainees who remain beyond 12 hours receive a cold sandwich with every meal.
"The facility was built for 12 hours, and people are regularly staying there for three days or more," Stanton said. "That fundamental problem has not been fixed one bit."
To add, the average length of stay in 2026 has climbed to roughly 36 hours, triple the 12-hour average recorded during the same period last year. Daily populations have averaged 274 detainees so far this year.
ICE agents prevented the lawmakers from speaking directly with detainees and blocked a Mesa city councilmember from entering the facility altogether.
“We're going to continue to expose what's happening,” Ansari added.
Both members said unannounced oversight visits will continue. They also renewed their push for the Short-Term Holding Facilities Standards Restoration Act, which would legally enforce the 12-hour holding limit and require the federal government to document and report conditions to Congress.
“Public awareness and advocacy has made a positive difference, but there is still much more work to do,” Stanton concluded.
