Man Held at Mesa ICE Facility Forced to Sleep on Feces-Covered Floor Amid Overcrowding

Marcos Gaspar Da Silva’s 10-day detention at the Arizona Removal Operations Coordinations Center (AROCC) near Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport was supposed to last no more than 12 hours. Instead, he was trapped in a cramped room with 40 other men, forced to sleep on a freezing floor covered in human waste, with no showers or clean clothes. His wife, Alessia, describes a nightmare of neglect and filth that starkly reveals the human cost of ICE’s mass detention policies.

The AROCC facility, designed for short-term holding of about 150 people, has been overwhelmed since the Trump administration’s 2025 deportation crackdown. Records show an average daily population of 541 detainees—more than three times capacity—and spikes nearing 800. Overcrowding led to conditions so dire that the city of Mesa warned ICE it might violate the building lease.

Da Silva’s account is one of the first firsthand testimonies from inside AROCC. He arrived there after being arrested in Maine and transported across the country, isolating him from his family. For days, he was denied food for 30 hours, given undrinkable water that caused severe gastric pain, and forced to wear the same clothes he had on at arrest. Bottled water cost $2, a cruel price for basic hygiene.

The physical toll was devastating. Da Silva lost 20 pounds, developed a spreading fungal rash from sleeping in filth, and suffered untreated respiratory issues. His wife describes him as “very gout-looking” and yellowed from the conditions. Despite repeated requests, ICE has refused to comment on his treatment.

Da Silva fled Brazil after threats involving a gun during a property dispute, seeking asylum in the U.S. After initially being detained and then released on parole, he rebuilt a life in Maine with his wife and stepchildren. His detention stemmed from missing an immigration court date, complicated by language barriers and lack of legal support.

This story shines a harsh light on the cruelty baked into ICE’s detention system—a system that prioritizes mass deportation over human dignity and basic rights. The Mesa facility’s overcrowding and unsanitary conditions are not anomalies but symptoms of a brutal immigration enforcement regime that continues to erode accountability and humanity. We will keep tracking these abuses and demand transparency and justice for those trapped inside.