Rep. Grijalva Conducts Oversight Visits at Eloy and Florence Detention Centers, Meets with Detainees
Eloy, Arizona — Today, U.S. Representative Adelita S. Grijalva (AZ-07) conducted an oversight visit at the Eloy and Florence federal detention facilities, where she met detainees and reviewed conditions inside the facility as part of her congressional oversight responsibilities.
Rep. Grijalva met with Julia Benitez, a 79-year old Cuban asylum seeker escaping political persecution that has been detained in Eloy for nine months and suffers from dementia. According to the Arizona Daily Star, she was denied a court hearing because she is subject to mandatory detention under the Trump Administration’s policy of blanket denials for humanitarian parole. Recent reporting from the Star highlights the increasing number of elderly and/or disabled migrants held in federal detention centers. They report that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (USCIS) has “largely stopped using its discretion to release vulnerable people on a humanitarian basis.”
“What I saw was absolutely heartbreaking. Abuelas should be home with their families - not in federal immigration detention,” said Congresswoman Grijalva. “This Administration's policy of blanket denials for humanitarian parole for the elderly and disabled is cruel and inhumane - and contrary to the values of this country. These are mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, friends and neighbors - not numbers on paper to satisfy Trump’s ruthless deportation quota.”
“Today’s visit underscored just how urgent it is that we bring real transparency and accountability to our immigration detention system. Those detained here - many from our own communities - are entitled to due process and humane treatment. I will continue using every oversight tool that is available to hold this administration accountable to the basic standards of transparency, decency, and human dignity that every person deserves.”