Ansari, Stanton, Grijalva Demand Answers from ICE, DHS on Mesa Gateway Facility Conditions

PHOENIX - After a "shocking" oversight visit to the Arizona Removal Operations Coordination Center at Mesa Gateway Airport, U.S. Representatives Yasamin Ansari (AZ-03), Greg Stanton (AZ-04), and Adelita Grijalva (AZ-07) sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons demanding answers about conditions for detainees.

"Upon entering the facility, we were shown the concrete cells where individuals are being held for 72 hours or more before their subsequent departure. Detainees were packed together tightly, with no access to beds and sleeping on a concrete floor. We observed rooms labeled for a capacity of 21 individuals holding approximately 40 to 50 people, crammed at densities that prevented individuals from sitting, lying down, or moving freely, forcing many to sleep on concrete floors without bedding," the members wrote.

"We are gravely concerned that ICE is using this facility in a manner that is grossly in excess of its intended design and safeguards. These conditions appear inconsistent with ICE's own Performance-Based National Detention Standards (PBNDS) and raise concerns under federal detention requirements and constitutional protections," they continue.

The full letter can be found here. Video from the media availability last night can be found here.

U.S. Reps. Ansari and Stanton previously conducted an oversight visit of the facility in February.

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