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Congressional visit documents severe overcrowding at Mesa ICE facility with 250 detainees

Apr 10, 2026 · Mesa, AZ

Congressional visit documents severe overcrowding at Mesa ICE facility with 250 detainees

Three Democratic members of Congress conducted an unannounced inspection of an ICE detention facility at Mesa Gateway Airport in Arizona on April 9, 2026, and documented severe overcrowding conditions. The facility held approximately 250 people in a space designed for 157 detainees. Individual rooms designed to hold 21 people contained 40-50 detainees forced to sleep on concrete floors in shoulder-to-shoulder conditions that exceeded fire code capacity. Detainees reported fevers and heat with limited access to medical care, sanitary facilities, and toilets shared among dozens of people. Some detainees had been held for multiple days despite the facility's 12-hour maximum capacity limit. The lawmakers sent letters to the Department of Homeland Security requesting information about the facility conditions.

Timeline

Apr 10, 2026Congressional members sent letters to Department of Homeland Security requesting information about facility conditions; DHS denied allegations while Republican congressman characterized visit as political stunt
Apr 9, 2026Three Democratic congressional members conducted unannounced inspection of ICE facility at Mesa Gateway Airport and documented overcrowding with approximately 250 detainees in space designed for 157, with detainees sleeping on concrete floors in rooms far exceeding capacity

Sources

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