Congresswoman recounts ‘sickening’ stories from women at Arizona migrant detention center

PHOENIX – U.S. Rep. Yassamin Ansari said she heard “sickening” stories from detainees during Thursday’s surprise visit to a central Arizona immigration detention center.

“More than a dozen people were eager to share that it is horrific and that they face racism and dehumanizing behavior every single day,” the Phoenix Democrat told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News on Friday.

Ansari said she received a full tour after dropping in on the Eloy Detention Center, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility, to exercise her congressional authority to conduct oversight.

“Look, it’s a prison. … I appreciate that I was able to see it, but it’s very much prison-like,” she said.

The first-term congresswoman wasn’t allowed to speak with specific detainees, including a resident of her 3rd Congressional District she was hoping to see. But she was given access to a group of women in the kitchen area during their lunch period.

Ansari’s district director, who is fluent in Spanish, helped her communicate with the women.

“They were so eager to speak with us and share sickening stories about things like lack of access to basics like food and water or essential medical care when they are in crisis,” Ansari said.

What did Rep. Yassamin Ansari hear during detention center visit?

Some detainees provided accounts about how they ended up in the ICE facility. One of the women is a Chandler resident who is married to a U.S. citizen, Ansari said.

“She was actually going to what she thought was a green card appointment when she was detained and brought here by ICE,” she said.

The women also told Ansari that staff members regularly subjected them to what she called “dehumanizing and degrading behavior.”

“They described a story that took place a month ago where a person who monitors lunch … forced them to march outside in the heat for two hours without water, being yelled at, (with) the guard saying things like ‘this is the price of the American dream’ — all until somebody fainted,” Ansari said.

Detainees say air conditioning is a major issue

The detention center’s air conditioning system was the subject of many complaints.

“Allegedly for quite some time there was no AC on for them, and then after complaints, AC would be turned on so high that in those cells women would be freezing at night,” Ansari said.

The women pointed out a fellow detainee they said got sick from the AC situation and wasn’t receiving care.

“This woman looked deathly ill to me,” Ansari said. “So, overall, just a very heartbreaking experience.”

I was sickened by the testimonies I heard today of inhumane treatment at the Eloy ICE Detention Center.

I’ll be taking this straight to the Trump Administration, demanding answers and more independent oversight. pic.twitter.com/wUGgz8ToQR

— Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari (@RepYassAnsari) May 30, 2025

Ansari, a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, acknowledged that “it’s very tough” to deal with the Trump administration about the immigration issue.

“I think the pressure has to come from me, but also from the public,” she said. “I’m somebody who does vehemently disagree with the Trump administration’s extreme mass deportation policy.”

Related

ICE met with protests after reportedly separating families outside Phoenix Immigration CourtBudget carrier Avelo Airlines begins deportation flights for ICE from Mesa Gateway AirportSen. Ruben Gallego unveils framework of plan for immigration reform and border securityFears of racial profiling swirl over registration policy for immigrants in the US illegallyArizona immigration attorney reacts to receiving deportation notice from US governmentFBI investigating shooting at ICE field office in Phoenix