ICYMI: Grijalva Slams ICE Over Conditions at Mesa Facility Following Surprise Visit on The Rachel Maddow Show

Washington, D.C. – Last night, Representative Adelita S. Grijalva appeared on The Rachel Maddow Show, where she talked about the inhumane and dangerous conditions at the Arizona Removal Operations Coordination Center (AROCC) operated by ICE that serves as its aerial transportation hub. She conducted a surprise visit of the facility last week alongside her colleagues Representative Stanton and Representative Ansari following reports that ICE had previously attempted to cover-up the conditions at the facility. The lawmakers sent a letter to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin demanding answers following their visit.

During the interview, Grijalva described overcrowding, lack of basic hygiene supplies, and prolonged detention in a facility not designed for extended stays. She recounted firsthand accounts from detainees, including women lacking access to essential sanitary products and being forced to endure deeply inadequate and undignified living conditions. The facility, intended for short-term holding of less than 12 hours, has reportedly held individuals for multiple days without clear timelines for release or transfer.

GRIJALVA: “When I was walking by the women’s facility, someone asked me for sanitary napkins because there were two young ladies in there that needed them and didn’t have them. They literally have a toilet in the middle of a space. If you look at the top of the door, it says max occupancy: 21 people—clearly double, almost triple the number there.

And if you have to use the facility, where are you supposed to go? In front of everyone? There are no showers. These are facilities that are supposed to be designed for less than 12 hours, and there are people there who have been there at least three days with no end in sight.”

Watch the full interview here. 

Following the visit, reports surfaced that ICE may be transferring detainees from the Mesa facility to a nearby but also overcrowded facility in Phoenix where the wife of one detainee described conditions where “her husband said the smell of human feces in the toilet caused a fellow detainee to vomit and, in turn, created a chain of people vomiting.” 

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