Grijalva tours Florence ICE facility in another unannounced visit

This article was originally published on AZPM.

Arizona Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva made an unannounced visit to a short-term Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) staging facility last week, citing reports that immigrants are spending more time in the facility than its mandated three-day limit.

According to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) documents from 2022, the Florence Staging Facility incarcerates male and female adults “for up to 72 hours.”

“We've had people contact our office that were in that space for up to two weeks,” Grijalva told reporters after Tuesday’s visit.

She said she asked facility staff about the 72-hour limit.

“They explained that sometimes, it's a processing issue … in that specific area, they try to keep it to 72 hours, because it doesn’t have the accommodation for more,” she said.

Under a Trump administration policy, members of Congress must alert DHS one week in advance before visiting an ICE facility. But some Democratic lawmakers have chosen to reject that policy, which was suspended in federal court earlier this year.

Grijalva made a similar unannounced visit last month with U.S. Reps. Yassamin Ansari and Greg Stanton. The lawmakers toured the Arizona Removal Operations Coordination Center, an ICE holding facility in Mesa that’s designed to detain immigrants for no longer than 12 hours, according to DHS documents. But the members of Congress said they met people who’d been waiting far longer — including a woman who’d been detained in the facility 44 days while awaiting voluntary deportation. The lawmakers also described severe overcrowding and unsanitary conditions at the Mesa facility.

Speaking Tuesday, Grijalva said she did not witness similar overcrowding at the Florence Staging Facility.

“Apparently, if it gets too crowded, there is a neighboring, like right next door, another facility that houses about 300 people,” she said.

Grijalva said her Tuesday visit provided limited glimpses of the facility: She observed shower units, lunch tray, and a common area, the latter from afar. She did not speak with any detained individuals, Grijalva said.

The congresswoman voiced frustration over not receiving a tour of the entire facility.

“If this administration is proud of this system, then why don't they allow you in with cameras, so you can check them out yourself?” she asked reporters. “You know, you're relying on me, and what I can see. Like, let people go and check it out.”