Az Rep. Ansari demands details on Glendale ICE detention center as part of Trump’s 80,000-bed expansion

An Arizona Democrat wants the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security to provide information on a proposed
detention facility in Glendale that is part of a larger national plan by
the Trump administration to incarcerate 80,000 migrants. 

“Given the local impact and
congressional oversight interests at stake, my office would welcome a
staff-level briefing in the near term to better understand the
Department’s plans and policies,” U.S. Rep. Yassamin Ansari wrote to DHS
Secretary Kristi Noem and Todd Lyons, the acting director of U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The letter says that her office had
previously inquired about the proposed warehouse on Jan. 6, but had not
heard back. Ansari asked for her staff to be briefed by DHS and ICE on
the plans for the facility, which is located in her district.

Reporting by the Washington Post in late December revealed that ICE is seeking to build seven large-scale holding centers
built from renovated industrial warehouses, each able to hold between
5,000 to 10,000 people while they await deportation. Additionally, the
agency is looking to build 15 smaller processing facilities to hold
between 500 to 1,500 people. 

The draft obtained by the Washington
Post listed Glendale as one of the seven locations where a large-scale
facility would be located. Virginia, Texas, Louisiana, Georgia and
Missouri are where the other proposed facilities would be located. 

“The facility referenced in these
reports is located near or within Arizona’s Third Congressional
District, which I represent,” Ansari’s letter says. “Given the
Constitutional Oversight authority of Members of Congress and as a
Member of the House Oversight Committee, as well as the potential
implications for the health, safety, and civil rights of individuals in
federal custody and the surrounding community, I am seeking additional
information from the Department regarding the status, purpose, and
operations of this site.” 

Ansari is among a number of members
of Congress who have been attempting to provide oversight to ICE
detention facilities during President Donald Trump’s immigration
crackdown. 

Members of Congress were previously told they needed to give facilities seven day notice before visiting unannounced, however, that rule recently changed after lawmakers won a lawsuit
against the Trump administration disallowing ICE from forcing lawmakers
to give prior notice before visiting detention facilities, and allowing
them to do unannounced visits. 

Ansari’s letter says she is
requesting information on where this facility will be used for
immigration detention or processing, which agencies and contractors will
be involved in its operation, a timeline of when it will be in use and
clarification on the standards of care it will operate under. 

City leaders in Glendale have reportedly not heard from federal officials yet about the plan. 

U.S. Sens. Mark Kelly and Reuben Gallego, along with Ansari,  have all visited an ICE facility in Eloy, which has been the site of a number of deaths and suicides. Ansari has also signed on as a cosponsor on articles of impeachment on Noem, citing alleged misconduct in overseeing DHS and misuse of public resources. 

Last year, deaths in ICE custody rose to the highest numbers in decades, with four of those deaths in Arizona. 

ICE and DHS did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.