U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, made an unannounced visit Thursday to an immigration office being used as a makeshift immigrant detention center in Miramar, following allegations from immigrant advocates that people are being held in “inhumane” conditions.
The visit comes after escalating pressure from immigrant advocacy groups, who on Wednesday called out called out U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials for reported mistreatment of migrants in their facilities. The advocates say the facility is overcrowded and that detainees are exposed to excessive heat, and have inadequate access to food, water, beds and bathrooms.
Under federal law, members of Congress are granted protected oversight access to inspect immigration detention facilities.
READ MORE: Immigrant advocates demand oversight of reported 'inhumane' conditions inside Miramar ICE facility
At a press conference outside of the Miramar facility on Thursday, Wasserman Schultz called the conditions inside “horrific.”
“I’ve been to this facility many times alongside my late colleague [former Congressman] Alcee Hastings because of reports of a lack of sun cover, water and toilets for people waiting to check in. Today, I had to do this surprise inspection to see inside for myself, and what I saw were people packed in like sardines, in conditions I wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemy,” Wasserman Schultz said. “I can tell you that these conditions are horrific.”
During the press conference, spectators could see migrants waiting for processing in the hot sun for hours, unable to fit into the shade. She said ICE officers told her that this “was not a concern,” because people were processed into the building by 7 a.m., before the heat strikes.
Wasserman Schultz said that the processing office was holding detainees for 72 hours or longer in crowded areas, and that she saw 150 detainees at the center during her visit.
She also saw four “holding tanks” for detainees, with two for men and two for women, with a single exposed toilet in the corner of each tank. The capacity for each tank was 56, but the rooms were crowded well beyond capacity.
“The men’s area was about 15’x15’, with about 70 men crammed in, shoulder-to-shoulder and wall-to-wall. The women’s area was approximately 7’x14’, with about 40 people in the same tight conditions. Individuals were forced to sleep on a hard floor and made to use the toilet in front of others,” Wasserman Schultz said in a statement following her visit.
Wasserman Schultz aid that ICE officials informed her that detainees are allowed one water bottle a day, along with 3 microwaveable 7.5 oz meals each day and a shower every other day.
Officers also said that they had at least one medical emergency a day where they had to call 911. Her press conference Thursday was interrupted when an ambulance arrive at the facility.
ICE officials also told her that there is no space for in-person attorney access or family visitation at the facility. Wasserman Schultz said she was disturbed to hear officials report zero inspections of the facility since it opened in October 2025.
Wasserman Schultz previously conducted unannounced visits to the now-closed Everglades Detention Center, better known as Alligator Alcatraz. Following that site visit — her second at the location — she reported finding similar "inhumane conditions."
“I’ll continue to conduct oversight of South Florida ICE operations and fight to hold them accountable for their brutality,” Wasserman Schultz said.
ICE officials did not issue any immediate statement following Wasserman Schultz's, but in previous media statements said the agency is "committed to ensuring that all those in custody reside in safe, secure and humane environments."
