Family, lawmakers allege inhumane conditions at Mesa ICE facility

MESA, AZ — A Maine family is sounding the alarm on what they describe as appalling conditions inside a federal immigration detention facility at Mesa Gateway Airport, sparking renewed demands for stricter oversight of short-term ICE lockups.

Alessia Gaspar-Da Silva, whose husband Marcos is a native of Brazil with no criminal history, shared with ABC15 details of a week at the Arizona Removal Operations Coordination Center (AROCC). She says Marcos was detained during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement roundup targeting “the worst of the worst,” despite having no record.

“He’s been on a constant battle of sickness and lack of treatment,” Alessia told ABC15. “That happened in Mesa.”

She alleges Marcos was forced to sleep on a floor stained with human waste in an overcrowded holding facility, denied clean clothing and showers, and not fed regularly. “I want them to see the darkness that’s there and put some light on it,” Alessia said, calling for change. “I don’t want immigrants who don’t deserve this to be tortured, to be treated inhumanely.”

Marcos is now being held at the ICE detention center in Florence, Arizona. He described his fears in a brief phone call: “We don’t drink the water there because it’s so bad. It’s hard there.”

The Gaspar-Da Silvas’ experience mirrors concerns raised by three Arizona lawmakers who made a late-night visit to AROCC on April 10. Arizona Democratic Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari, disturbed by what she called “human rights violations,” has since proposed legislation limiting the time detainees can be held in short-term ICE facilities. Congressman Greg Stanton, who accompanied Ansari, told ABC15: “We are insisting they make this change… through legal means and media attention, so ICE does the right thing and limits stays at this facility to only 12 hours.”

ICE responded to ABC15’s inquiry but did not directly address the conditions described by the Gaspar-Da Silva family. The agency said population figures at AROCC reflect detainees booked over a 24-hour period, including new arrivals who immediately board buses, and do not represent the number inside at any given time.

Alessia Gaspar-Da Silva says her husband was denied contact with his attorney and family during his time in Mesa. She said she’s still proud to be an American, but she believes it’s unacceptable that anyone would be treated this way on American soil.

ABC15 is committed to reporting the stories of families affected by detention and immigration enforcement. For updates and resources, visit abc15.com.