East Mesa Detention Facility

East Mesa Detention Facility located at 446 Alta Road, Suite 5200, Mesa, AZ 85210

The East Mesa Detention Facility is a privately operated jail in Maricopa County, Arizona. The facility houses approximately 1,700 inmates and is the largest immigration detention center in the United States.[1]

The facility is operated by Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), under contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The East Mesa Detention Facility was opened in August 2014. It is adjacent to the Eloy Detention Center, another privately operated jail run by CCA.

The East Mesa Detention Facility has been criticized for its conditions and treatment of detainees. In December 2014, a group of detainees went on hunger strike to protest the conditions at the jail, including the food, medical care, and lack of access to legal resources.[2]

In September 2015, a judge ordered the release of a detainees at the facility after finding that they were being held in conditions that violated their constitutional rights. The judge found that the detainees were being held in “deplorable” conditions, and that they had been denied access to adequate medical care, mental health care, and legal resources.[3]

The East Mesa Detention Facility has also been the site of multiple riots and escapes. In December 2014, a riot broke out at the jail, resulting in injuries to detainees and guards. The cause of the riot is unknown, but it is believed that it may have been sparked by a fight between rival gangs.[4]

In August 2015, five detainees escaped from the East Mesa Detention Facility. The escapees were all later recaptured.[5]

The East Mesa Detention Facility is a controversial facility that has been criticized for its conditions and treatment of detainees.