8 May 14th - May 20th, 2026 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | Shitty Conditions Man held at Mesa ICE facility slept on feces- covered floor, wife says. BY MORGAN FISCHER S ince 2010, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has operated a little-known short- term holding facility at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. But starting last year, as the Trump administration began arresting immigrants in large numbers and packing detention centers, the 25,000-square-foot facility has become a flashpoint. Known as the Arizona Removal Operations Coordinations Center, or AROCC, the facility has no beds or showers and is meant to house roughly 150 people for just 12 hours at a time before they’re flown to detention centers in other states or deported from the country. But since President Donald Trump retook the White House in 2025 and implemented his mass deportation agenda, the facility has consistently been grossly overcrowded, with the daily popula- tion once spiking to nearly 800 people. When Arizona lawmakers visited the facility earlier this year, the Arizona Mirror reported, the facility’s population suddenly dropped. It spiked again almost immediately afterward. When lawmakers returned unan- nounced for a subsequent visit, they were distressed by the conditions they encoun- tered. The city of Mesa has told ICE that the overcrowded conditions there may violate the lease for the building. To this point, descriptions of the AROCC facility have relied on reports from visiting lawmakers or population numbers obtained via public records request. But Phoenix New Times recently spoke to a detainee who was held there, providing a firsthand account of the inhumane conditions in which ICE is keeping people. Marcos Gaspar Da Silva, a 32-year-old Brazilian father from Maine, was held at AROCC for 10 days — or 20 times longer than he should have been kept there if the facility was operating as it should. New Times spoke with Da Silva over the phone from Central Arizona Florence Correctional Complex, where he’s currently being held, and also spoke to his wife, Alessia Gaspar Da Silva, who is in Maine. According to interviews with the couple, Da Silva arrived at AROCC three days after being picked up by ICE in Maine. The distance has made things particularly diffi- cult. “It’s so far, my wife cannot help me here,” Da Silva told New Times. “I don’t know why they did that.” On top of that, Da Silva and his wife characterized the condi- tions at AROCC as terrible and filthy. Da Silva said he was kept in a crowded room with 40 men. During Da Silva’s stay at AROCC, an average of 541 people were detained in the facility each day, which is more than three times the facility’s capacity, according to an Arizona Mirror analysis of Deportation Data Project data on ICE detention records. There were no beds, which forced Da Silva to sleep on the freezing floor without a blanket. To make matters worse, his wife added, an over- flowing toilet had covered the floor in fecal matter. “I could not take a shower,” he said, and he was never given a change of clothes, forcing him to wear the same clothes he was originally detained in for his entire 240-hour stay there. His wife said that for his first 30 hours at AROCC, Da Silva wasn’t given any food. ICE finally provided bread and some fruit. But the water he was given was undrinkable and caused him “extreme, gastric pain,” his wife said, “sweating, fever and all that.” If detainees wanted clean water, they had to shell out $2 for a bottle — that’s true in ICE’s larger facility in Florence as well — while others got cups of ice and waited for them to melt. “Some people drink that, but I don’t drink that,” Da Silva told New Times. The facility’s overcrowding and nasty conditions took a toll on Da Silva’s body. He’s lost 20 pounds, he said, and his wife described him as “very gout-looking” with a yellow tone. She added that he has devel- oped a fungus rash on his foot that’s spread to his hands as a result of sleeping in feces. He’s reported constant, untreated sinus and coughing issues. ICE did not respond to a request for comment on Da Silva’s experience in detention. Fleeing Brazil A lawyer-turned-general contractor, Da Silva first traveled from Brazil to the U.S. in 2021 to seek asylum. He fled Brazil after a retired police officer and a local official threatened him multiple times with a gun during a dispute over the ownership of one of his clients’ properties, according to Da Silva’s immigration documents, which his wife shared with New Times. Upon entering the country, he was detained for 12 days at ICE’s Adams County >> p 10 Marcos Gaspar Da Silva. (Alessia Da Silva) | NEWS | Questions? Feedback? Email me at [email protected] • Follow me on RATING (out of 5 McFly’s) 2026 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS SE: BUILT FOR COSTCO RUNS, YOUTH SOCCER POLITICS, AND SURVIVING THREE CHILDREN SCREAMING ‘HE TOUCHED ME’ FOR 45 STRAIGHT MINUTES. 2026 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS SE The 2026 Volkswagen Atlas 2.0T The 2026 Volkswagen Atlas 2.0T SE is the kind of SUV that says, “I SE is the kind of SUV that says, “I used to be fun, but now I own eight used to be fun, but now I own eight reusable grocery bags and know the reusable grocery bags and know the exact location of every clean public exact location of every clean public restroom in Arizona.” At $45,660, it’s restroom in Arizona.” At $45,660, it’s not cheap, but compared to some of not cheap, but compared to some of these bloated luxury family haulers these bloated luxury family haulers pushing seventy grand just so your pushing seventy grand just so your kid can drop Goldfish crackers into kid can drop Goldfish crackers into heated seats, the Atlas actually feels heated seats, the Atlas actually feels pretty reasonable. The 2.0T engine pretty reasonable. The 2.0T engine isn’t exactly Fast & Furious material, isn’t exactly Fast & Furious material, but it gets the job done with enough but it gets the job done with enough pep to merge onto the freeway without pep to merge onto the freeway without writing your will first. Plus 20/27 MPG writing your will first. Plus 20/27 MPG for a giant family brick is respectable. for a giant family brick is respectable. This thing is basically a studio This thing is basically a studio apartment on wheels. apartment on wheels. Inside, the Atlas is HUGE. Like Inside, the Atlas is HUGE. Like suspiciously huge. You climb into suspiciously huge. You climb into the third row and start wondering if the third row and start wondering if Volkswagen accidentally designed this Volkswagen accidentally designed this thing to transport German exchange thing to transport German exchange students across Europe. There’s room students across Europe. There’s room for kids, dogs, backpacks, hockey for kids, dogs, backpacks, hockey gear, emotional baggage, and at least gear, emotional baggage, and at least one adult who’s “just going through a one adult who’s “just going through a weird divorce right now.” The cabin is weird divorce right now.” The cabin is clean, practical, and straightforward, clean, practical, and straightforward, which honestly feels refreshing in a which honestly feels refreshing in a world where every car interior now world where every car interior now looks like an esports tournament looks like an esports tournament sponsored by Celsius energy drinks. sponsored by Celsius energy drinks. Driving the Atlas is less Driving the Atlas is less “performance SUV” and more “performance SUV” and more “competent suburban war machine.” “competent suburban war machine.” Nobody’s carving canyon roads in this Nobody’s carving canyon roads in this thing unless they’re late to an Imagine thing unless they’re late to an Imagine Dragons concert. But you know what? Dragons concert. But you know what? That’s okay. The Atlas understands That’s okay. The Atlas understands its assignment. It exists to dominate its assignment. It exists to dominate Target parking lots, survive family road Target parking lots, survive family road trips, and make dads feel like tactical trips, and make dads feel like tactical operators while loading a Blackstone operators while loading a Blackstone grill into the back. It’s not sexy. It’s not grill into the back. It’s not sexy. It’s not trying to set Nürburgring lap records. trying to set Nürburgring lap records. But if your lifestyle currently involves But if your lifestyle currently involves group texts about school pickups group texts about school pickups and somebody yelling “we forgot the and somebody yelling “we forgot the Stanley cup!” before every road trip, Stanley cup!” before every road trip, the Atlas might be your king. the Atlas might be your king. Comfort: Value: Fuel Economy: Looks: The Drive: Safety & Security: Overall: Sound System: Bells & Whistles:
