Democrat Yassamin Ansari was in Pinal County on Thursday for a surprise visit to the Eloy Detention Center — which she says is about 30 detainees shy of its max capacity of 1,550.
Ansari spent more than two hours inside the facility, one of a handful that are located about an hour south of Phoenix.
She says she went to monitor conditions there as part of her congressional responsibilities — and ICE is legally obligated to let her in. Two in-custody deaths happened earlier this year in Eloy, some of a total of seven fatalities in ICE facilities since January.
“So with detention centers like these set to make record profits, the least that can be done is adequate staff that’s properly trained to treat people in a humane and dignified way, is adequate water and medical treatment,” Ansari told reporters outside the facility Thursday. “Eloy is the detention center that has the highest number of reports or issues. It’s also the detention center that we know most recently with the raids in Phoenix, especially at the immigration court, that people are being sent here.”
Ansari said phone numbers for DHS oversight offices are no longer present in the facility. She also said she spoke with dozens of women whose testimonies she plans to report to the Trump administration, including some who said about a month ago they were forced outside by an employee.
“They pointed to this gentleman and said this gentleman forced everyone outside in the heat and had them walk around for what felt like two hours without water and said things like ‘this is the price of the American Dream,’” she said.
Ansari said one women fainted during the incident and several others said they reported what happened to facility authorities.
A spokesperson for CoreCivic, the private prison company that operates the Eloy Detention Center, denied the incident and said recreational opportunities are provided in accordance with ICE standards.
“Our immigration facilities are monitored very closely by our government partners at ICE, and they are required to undergo regular review and audit processes to ensure an appropriate standard of living and care for all detainees,” spokesman Ryan Gustin said in an email. “At no point would one of our staff members force an individual in our care to go outside for recreation if they didn't want to be outside. Detainees are free to choose whether they would like to participate in these opportunities.”
Gustin said there is a “robust grievance process” available to detainees who need to raise concerns, including toll-free telephone numbers, and that all detainees have access to management staff.
ICE did not respond to questions about the incident or other concerns raised by Ansari.
