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Democratic Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz conducted a surprise inspection on Thursday at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Field Office in Miramar, Florida, and described her findings as an extreme overcrowding situation and inhumane conditions at the ICE center, which she claimed she would not wish upon "anyone you love."
The congresswoman estimated that more than 150 people were spread across four detention rooms in a facility designed for administrative processing, not for prolonged detention.
The staff at the center informed her that each room has a capacity for 56 people. Wasserman Schultz reported seeing between 70 and 75 men in a room approximately 24 by 24 feet, and over 50 women in a space just 12 by 12 feet.
"There are literally people lying on the floor. There is absolutely no space. It's people from wall to wall," stated the legislator.
Each cell has a single toilet in one corner, with no privacy at all, forcing detainees to eat, sleep, and relieve themselves in the same cramped space.
The detainees receive three small microwaveable meals a day and a refillable bottle of water. They can only shower every two days, and the facility operates under extremely high temperatures with no space for them to talk to their lawyers.
«You wouldn't wish the conditions of detention these individuals face on anyone you love, certainly not on anyone else. They are inhumane,» asserted Wasserman Schultz, as reported by El Nuevo Herald.
The facility is designed as a processing point where individuals should not remain for more than 12 hours. However, ICE obtained an exemption that allows them to detain individuals for up to 72 hours.
Pro-immigrant organizations report that some migrants are detained for five days or more.
According to a report by Telemundo 51, during the press conference held by the congresswoman, three fire trucks arrived at the scene. Wasserman Schultz pointed out that ICE reports an average of one medical emergency per day that requires calling 911, and that the facility has not been inspected since the current director assumed office last October.
"It is difficult to know if you meet ICE standards if a facility is not inspected," he warned.
The overcrowding worsened following the permanent closure of Alligator Alcatraz on June 25, a facility that processed nearly 21,000 deportations in less than a year. Activists link the collapse of Miramar with the flow of detainees who were previously transferred to that facility.
The situation could worsen further following the Supreme Court decision that authorized Trump to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 350,000 Haitians and 7,000 Syrians without judicial review. Almost all TPS holders in Florida are Venezuelan or Haitian, and the Trump administration had already previously canceled TPS for Venezuela.
"The situation here is going to get much worse," warned the congresswoman.
The day before the visit, immigration activists had demanded supervision and unannounced inspections at the facility. María Bilbao, from the Miramar Circle of Protection group, reported that 33 unmarked vehicles entered the premises over the course of three hours since the previous Monday.
ICE did not respond to the new allegations from Wasserman Schultz.
The agency had previously denied the allegations of overcrowding, describing the facility as a "processing center" where "the number of people held varies according to operational needs."
"The first Trump administration was terrible. But this is much worse. I consider this state terrorism," Bilbao said to the Herald.
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