Detained immigrants at Eloy detail dehydration, lack of medical care, and mistreatment

Arizona’s Democratic Rep. Yassamin Ansari traveled to Eloy to check conditions for immigrants who have been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Ansari arrived unannounced to the facility, which houses immigrants detained by ICE, after reports of unclean and cruel conditions. While there, Ansari was able to speak to roughly 15 women within the facility, who described harrowing treatment.

In a conversation with reporters shortly after the visit, Ansari detailed the troubling testimonies from the women inside. Multiple women at the facility pointed out an officer to Ansari and said that on a particularly hot day, he forced everyone outside and made them walk around for “what felt like hours” without any water. The man allegedly kept repeating, “This is the price of the American dream.” As a result of the dehydration and extreme heat, one woman fainted. 

The women said the atmosphere at the facility was calm that day, likely because of Rep. Ansari’s presence, in contrast to the usual conditions, when they are often “yelled at, rushed and demeaned.”

Earlier in the month, a fire broke out at the facility, and multiple women told the congresswoman that officers and staff were “ill-prepared” to evacuate, Ansari noted. They said it led to an 80-year-old woman pounding on a door to escape the fire and later fainted from its intensity. Another woman who witnessed the incident tried to help the older woman but was placed in isolation for 15 days because officers “didn’t like” her reaction.

The women’s stories as told to Ansari

One woman told Ansari that when she complained about the quality of the water, an officer gave her ice cubes and instructed her to “wait for them to melt.”

Kathryne, an immigrant from Chile who asked to only be referred to by her first name, has been in the facility for five months. Kathryne detailed the derogatory terms the officers call the women including racial slurs and repeatedly cursing at the women. When Kathryne complained about the treatment, she was moved to another unit. She says many women come to her to report sexual assault that occurs within the facility but it often falls on deaf ears when reported.

Jenny, who also declined to use her full name, is a legal resident under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. She was detained after running a red light and later transferred to the facility. She has been collecting testimonies from the women and pledges to bring them to Washington if she is released. Jenny described conditions at the facility, including a lack of medical care, racist treatment, poor nutrition and dehumanizing behavior, as “unacceptable.”

Other women told the congresswoman that the phone numbers for the Ombudsman, which investigates complaints against government agencies, had been removed from the facility’s phones. They also said the phones do not allow them to call the police. One ICE officer told Rep. Ansari that the phones do permit calls to the PREA hotline, which was established under the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003. However, the women said their complaints are never addressed.

The trip comes amidst an immigration crackdown across the country, particularly in Arizona, where ICE agents have been waiting outside courthouses to apprehend unsuspecting immigrants. Just this week, ICE returned to the downtown Phoenix courthouse, hiding nearby and waiting for immigrants to drive away before pulling them over and attempting to detain them.

Catching on to the tactic, Arizona advocates quickly mobilized outside the courthouse and set up a hotline for immigrants to call if they are stopped by ICE. Volunteers are then sent to monitor and record interactions when possible in order to stop potential disappearances. 

Until there is change, both in the conditions of the facilities and in proceedings, Rep. Ansari says she will continue fighting for dignity for all immigrants and pushing back against the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda.

“Every single person in these detention centers must be treated with dignity and respect and given the due process afforded by our Constitution,” Ansari said.

The facility is operated by CoreCivic, a private prison company. CoreCivic has partnered with ICE for nearly 40 years, and Ansari stressed that if a private company is profiting from imprisonment, “the least that can be done is to treat people in a humane and dignified way.”

CoreCivic responded to the claims in an email response, “CoreCivic plays a limited but important role in America’s immigration system. 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.”

The detention center is considered one of the deadliest in the US, according to Detention Watch Network, an advocacy group.  There have been 16 deaths of people in custody, including five by suicide. Ansari also expressed concern about the capacity of the facility with 1,520 of 1,550 beds occupied.

Ansari plans to present a list of demands addressing these concerns to the Trump administration.