South Florida Congresswoman denounces conditions at Miramar ICE facility as "horrific"
U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz is condemning conditions inside the Miramar Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office, describing them as "horrific" following an unannounced visit to the facility.
The Florida Democrat toured the center on Thursday after activists and relatives of detainees raised concerns regarding the treatment of those held at the location.
According to Wasserman Schultz, the Miramar office is intended to serve as an administrative processing center where individuals are typically held for no more than 12 hours. However, she reported that some detainees have been kept in custody for 72 hours or longer in overcrowded conditions.
"I can tell you that the conditions they are being held in are horrific," Wasserman Schultz said.
The congresswoman described seeing rooms packed beyond capacity.
"There is absolutely no room at all. It is wall-to-wall people, 70 to 75 people crammed into a very tiny room," she said, noting the rooms are designed for 56 people.
Wasserman Schultz also witnessed detainees sleeping on the floor and standing shoulder-to-shoulder.
"There were people lying on the floor, people standing literally on top of each other," she said.
Among those concerned about the conditions is a South Florida woman who requested anonymity due to fear of retaliation. She told CBS News Miami that her boyfriend, 20-year-old Roger Moises Flores, a construction worker, had been held at the Miramar facility for more than three days.
"They're on the floor," she said in Spanish.
According to the woman, Flores was detained Saturday morning in Pompano Beach while stopping at a gas station with co-workers. Witnesses photographed agents placing Flores into a vehicle.
Wasserman Schultz noted that members of Congress are legally permitted to conduct unannounced inspections of immigration detention facilities. She has previously visited the Everglades detention center, commonly referred to as "Alligator Alcatraz," to examine conditions there.
The congresswoman expressed concern that conditions could deteriorate following a recent Supreme Court decision that cleared the way for the Trump administration to execute certain immigration detentions and removals without judicial review.
Flores has since been transferred to the Krome Detention Center, where he awaits potential deportation to his native Honduras.
CBS News Miami contacted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement seeking comment regarding the allegations. As of Thursday evening, the agency had not provided a response.