A South Florida member of Congress condemned conditions inside a Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations center in Broward County on Wednesday after conducting an unannounced inspection that she said reveled detainees being held in overcrowded units and unsanitary conditions.
U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, made the surprise visit weeks after a whistleblower disclosed what lawyers and immigration advocates call horrific conditions in ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations Center in Miramar.
Those conditions included detainees brushing their teeth outside with water from a hose attached to a jug, overflowing porta-potties, lack of proper access to proper medical care or hygiene, and other abuses. Those allegations prompted
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee to open an investigation into the facility’s practices.
Wasserman Schultz also made surprise visits at Alligator Alcatraz, the Everglades immigrant detention center that closed in June. A Department of Homeland Security inspector general's report found some conditions there did not "align with standards for humane treatment."
"Sludge and dirt"
Wasserman Schultz said described conditions inside the complex as "horrendously dirty," from the holding cells to the showers.
"Sludge and dirt," Wasserman Schultz said. "It looked like a mop had never touched a corner of any part of those rooms."
Wednesday's visit marked Wasserman Schultz's second inspection of the center. She said conditions had improved slightly since her last visit, when the complex housed more people, but still fell short of standards.
During the July visit, Wasserman Schultz found about 70 men crammed shoulder-to-shoulder and wall-to-wall, about 40 women in the same tight conditions, and other inhumane conditions.
The Miramar ICE facility is designated as an administrative and processing check-in site rather than a detention facility.
However, lawyers and immigration advocates have reported some detainees have been held there for over 72 hours, raising concerns the facility is being used as a short-term detention center without being equipped to serve as one.
Arianna Otero covers breaking news for The Palm Beach Post. Contact her via email at AOtero@pbpost.com and follow her on X: @ari_v_otero.
Valentina Palm covers immigration and breaking news for The Palm Beach Post. Email her at vpalm@pbpost.com and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @ValenPalmB. Support local journalism: Subscribe today
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Wasserman Schultz slams 'sludge and dirt' conditions at ICE center
