The Eloy Detention Center, located in rural Pinal County, Arizona, is one of the largest immigration detention facilities in the United States. Operated by the private prison corporation CoreCivic, Eloy currently detains over 1,500 adult men and women in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
This in-depth article takes a closer look at the Eloy Detention Center, providing details on its background, operations, conditions, visitation policies, and oversight accountability.
History and Background
The Eloy Detention Center first opened in 1994 under operation by the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), now known as CoreCivic. Situated approximately 60 miles southeast of Phoenix in an isolated desert location, the facility was ideally situated for expansion given its remote geography.
CoreCivic continues to operate Eloy today under an agreement with ICE to house immigrant detainees pending deportation or immigration proceedings. With a capacity to hold 1,596 detainees, Eloy carries out this function at a medium security classification level.
Adjacent to Eloy are three other detention and correctional facilities operated by CoreCivic, making it a complex of privately run centers in close proximity. In 2018, Eloy made national news headlines when approximately 300 migrant mothers separated from their children under the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” border policy were housed there, adding to the facility’s notoriety.
Detainee Statistics and Demographics
As an adult detention facility, the Eloy population consists primarily of men ages 18 and older from a variety of nations. As of October 2022, the facility houses around 1,550 detainees including:
- Roughly 80% men, 20% women
- Most detainees originate from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.
- Additional significant populations from South Asia, the Caribbean, Africa, and Europe.
- Detainees are held at Eloy for alleged administrative immigration violations or pending deportation.
- Some detainees have resided at the facility for months or years as their complex immigration cases wind through the system.
Exact statistics on detainees can vary month to month as the detainee population fluctuates. ICE transports new detainees to Eloy frequently while others complete deportation or gain release on bond or parole.
Daily Life at the Eloy Detention Center
Immigration detainees at Eloy live a highly-regimented existence defined by strict schedules and limitations on movement. However, some small comforts and programming opportunities exist.
Housing and Living Quarters
At Eloy, detainees reside in sparse concrete dormitories surrounding an open outdoor yard area. Bunk beds, lockers, tables, and communal bathrooms make up the simple accommodations.
Units house between 4-8 detainees together with group bathroom facilities. Minimal privacy exists—all daily activities occur in shared quarters under video surveillance and observation by guards.
Housing assignments occur based on security levels, gender, family status, and other factors. High-security detainees are isolated from general population units.
Work Assignments and Recreation
Many Eloy detainees opt to apply for voluntary work assignments within the facility that provide a break in the monotony of confinement for between $1-2 per day in pay. Janitorial, laundry, maintenance, barbershop, and kitchen duties make up some of the available jobs.
Education programs and classes are also sometimes offered, in addition to creative outlets like drawing.
For recreation, Eloy offers both indoor and outdoor options including a soccer field, gymnasium, game room, law library, and TV room. However, recreation occurs only during prescribed blocks of time under close staff supervision.
Access to sunlight and fresh air in the desert climate provides a refreshing change of pace when permitted.
Meals and Food Options
Nutritionally adequate meals are provided three times daily in communal cafeteria halls at Eloy. Typical dining fare consists of simple dishes like rice, beans, soups, processed meats, breads, fruits and vegetables.
Special dietary needs stemming from religious beliefs or medical conditions are accommodated. Mealtimes provide a welcome interruption in the day for social interaction.
Medical Care and Mental Health
On-site medical units at Eloy provide basic care for minor illnesses, injuries, and maintenance of chronic conditions and medications. However, frequent complaints target substandard treatment and neglect of detainee medical needs.
Mental healthcare resources are extremely limited. Between 2003-2016, 15 detainee deaths occurred at Eloy, including 5 suicides reflecting inadequate mental health intervention.
Advocates have voiced concerns about medical negligence contributing to fatalities. Outside hospitals address major emergencies requiring intensive treatment.
Communication and Privacy
Communication with the outside world is tightly controlled at Eloy. Detainees cannot receive incoming calls, limiting contact with loved ones. Jailhouse-style visitation booths separate detainees from visitors.
All mail goes through extensive screening for contraband. Room for personal privacy is nearly non-existent within the crowded dorms. However, visits, phone calls, and mail provide a vital lifeline to maintain family ties.
For those without local relatives, options to connect in-person are non-existent.
Visitation Rules and Policies
Visitation policies at the Eloy Detention Center are strict and challenging for families to navigate:
- In-person visitation is only allowed on Saturdays and Sundays during prescribed blocks of time based on housing location.
- Visitors must go through extensive screening checks, including pat downs and metal detectors. They are prohibited from passing anything to detainees.
- Visits must be scheduled in advance for guaranteed approval and are non-contact, conducted via video screens.
- Each visit lasts a minimum of one hour but may not exceed that due to limited availability.
- Only 4 visitors per detainee are allowed at one time to manage capacity in visitation rooms.
- Minors under 18 require adult guardians in order to visit and cannot be left unattended. They must bring birth certificates to confirm age.
- Detainees in segregation units have strictly limited visit times on Sundays only.
These restrictive policies, combined with Eloy’s remote location, make maintaining in-person family connections challenging. However, visitation remains one of the most meaningful privileges for boosting detainee morale.
Oversight and Transparency Concerns
As a facility owned and operated by a private for-profit prison contractor, the Eloy Detention Center has faced persistent criticism regarding oversight accountability, rights violations, lack of transparency about internal operations.
While ICE technically monitors the facility’s compliance with broad detention standards, day-to-day management falls under CoreCivic’s control. Unlike state prisons, no ombudsman exists to address grievances and FOIA requests about Eloy go through ICE.
At least 15 deaths occurred at Eloy between 2003-2016. Some of these deaths revealed subpar medical treatment according to ICE reports. However, full details on facility conditions, incidents, and oversight remain undisclosed to the public.
Advocacy groups have called for ending the outsourcing of immigration detention operations to private contractors like CoreCivic in favor of greater transparency under government management models. However, the current standards remain the status quo at Eloy and other contracted centers.
Final Thoughts
The Eloy Detention Center provides some amenities but has significant issues like isolation, insufficient healthcare, and lack of accountability. As one of the largest immigration detention centers, it highlights needed reforms of the broader system to improve human rights. Meaningful changes in standards of care, access to services, and external oversight are necessary to ensure humane treatment and conditions consistent with human dignity principles.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How do I locate a detainee at Eloy Detention Center?
To locate an individual detained at Eloy, you can call the detention center at 520-466-4141 and provide the detainee's full name and alien registration number if known. You can also use ICE's online detainee locator to search for their location.
2. How do I send money to a detainee in Eloy Detention Center?
Friends and family can deposit money into a detainee's facility account by mailing a money order to the Eloy Detention Center, 1705 E. Hanna Rd, Eloy, AZ 85131. Be sure to include the detainee's full name and alien registration number to ensure funds are deposited into the correct account.
3. When can I visit a detainee at Eloy?
In-person visits are allowed on Saturdays and Sundays during set hours based on housing location. All visits must be scheduled in advance through the online system or by calling 520-466-4141. Visitors must pass security screening and follow strict facility guidelines.
4. What are the rules for sending mail to Eloy?
Detainees can receive mail, but all incoming general correspondence is screened by staff for contraband. Letters should include the detainee's full name and A-number and be addressed to: Detainee Name, 1705 E. Hanna Rd, Eloy, AZ 85131. Legal mail is treated as privileged but will go through inspection as well.
Phone: 520-464-3000
Physical Address:
Eloy Detention Center
1705 East Hanna Rd.
Eloy, AZ 85231
Mailing Address (personal mail):
Inmate's Full Name & A-Number
Eloy Detention Center
1705 E Hanna Rd
Eloy, AZ 85231
Other Jails and Prisons
When someone that is not a US Citizen gets arrested in the United States, and they are here illegally, depending on what state or city they are arrested in, the person may be turned over to ICE.
Many states such as New York and California, as well as hundreds of US cities, have declared themselves 'sanctuary cities' and do not turn over foreigners here illegally, even if they are committing crimes in their jurisdiction.
However, when an alien here illegally is turned over to ICE, and sent to one of the over 100 Immigration Detention Centers in the United States, the only way to try and locate where they are being detained is using the Online Detainee Locator System.
You can look them up using their assigned A-Number.
You can also try and look them up by using their name.
What is an ICE Detention Center?
Men, women, and children that are in the United States illegally and are apprehended by the US Border Patrol or ICE will most likely be placed in removal proceedings and may be detained in one of the more than 200 jails and detention centers that make up ICE’s detention system.
Many of the illegal immigrants that are detained are held in county and local jails that contract with ICE to detain immigrants. The rest are held in dedicated immigration detention facilities run by ICE or contracted to private prison corporations, including family detention centers that hold mothers and children.
What Determines if an Illegal Immigrant gets Detained?
ICE will typically detain an immigrant because DHS (Homeland Security) believes that an illegal immigrant is either a “flight risk” and may move to another location within the U.S. or that they pose a public safety threat. Detaining the person allows the government to guarantee that the person will show up for their hearing before an Immigration Court.
Some of the reasons that causes an illegal immigrant to get arrested and held in detention prior to their day in court is as follows:
The illegal immigrant has:
How do you find someone that is in an ICE Detention Center?
The first step to finding out if an illegal immigrant is in ICE or DHS custody is by using the ICE Detainee Locator.
It’s easier to find the person if you have an Alien Number (A#), if one exists. A green card or work permit will show this number. If you don’t have an A# the person is much more difficult to locate.
The information you will need is as follows:
If you are having difficulty, try different spellings and the order of how the name is listed.
If the illegal immigrant was only recently detained, the ICE Detainee Locator may not be updated with the latest information. Keep in mind that ICE does not give information (online or over the phone) for people under 18 years of age. In such cases, you can only get information on them from the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations field office nearest you.
If the person you are looking for is not in an ICE Detention Center, they may have been taken to a local jail that contracts with ICE, so contact their local City and County Jail, all which can be found here.
Another option, short of the expense of hiring an Immigration Lawyer, is to go to this website and use their online form to get their help.
Once an illegal immigrant is located and you find out the facility where they are being held you need to find out the Deportation Officer that has been assigned to their case. The Officer can tell you how to call or visit the detainee, or pay for the detainee to be able to call you, or how you can send any needed items such as clothing, prescriptions, etc.
The last option, and the most expensive, is to hire an experienced immigration attorney to assist you in tracking down the Deportation Officer. If the person being detained requires specific medical care, an attorney can ensure that they receive that care.
If the detained illegal immigrant has been deported from America previously or has an outstanding removal order - in which case they have no right to see an immigration judge - they can be removed within a few days, or even hours, of the initial arrest.
Even if the government does not immediately remove the person, it is possible that they can be moved around to different Detention Centers. There is never a warning that a person is being moved around and during the transfer there is a complete blackout of any information.
How long are people held in ICE Immigration Detention Centers?
The time that an illegal immigrant is held in an ICE Detention Center can vary. It all depends on several factors such as the individual’s personal situation, criminal record, the severity of the crime they are being charged with, previous deportations and the current caseload that the Detention Center is dealing with.
This image portrays the most recent data available on the time a detained illegal immigrant remains in custody before their release and/or deportation.
Can you visit someone in ICE Detention Centers?
The short answer is yes. The person visiting an illegal immigrant in an ICE Detention Center must be lawfully present in the United States. In other words the visitor must have some form of currently valid immigration status at the time of the visit. A detention center or jail will not allow the visit unless visitor can show valid I.D. and offer proof that they are lawfully in the United States.
If you want to become a volunteer that visits illegal immigrants in order to offer emotional support, it may be possible. You can join one of these visitation networks by going here and contacting the network in your area.
What crimes can cause an illegal immigrant to be deported?
(The following information comes from Nolo.com, a trusted legal resource)
These are the straightforward crimes that are mentioned in the immigration law. The statute also lists a number of security violations, such as involvement in espionage, sabotage, terrorism, Nazi persecution, totalitarian parties, and so forth.
Once an illegal immigrant is deported, how long before they can come back to the United States?
If an illegal immigrant has a deportation or removal order in their immigration file, it's possible that they won’t be allowed to enter the U.S. for five, ten, or even 20 years.
The applicable law comes from Section 212 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (I.N.A.).
Five-Year Ban: If they were summarily removed or deported upon arrival at a U.S. port of entry because they were found inadmissible, or if they came to the U.S. but were immediately put into removal proceedings and then removed or deported, they may be ineligible to return to the U.S. for five years. The five-year ban also applies if they failed to show up for their removal hearing in the United States.
Ten-Year Ban: If a ‘removal order’ was issued at the conclusion of their removal hearing in Immigration Court, they may not be able to return for ten years after their removal or departure.
Twenty-Year Ban: If they were convicted of an aggravated felony or have received more than one order of removal, they are barred from returning to the U.S. for 20 years. And if they entered without permission after having been removed, or illegally reentered the U.S. after having previously been in the U.S. unlawfully for more than one year, they may be barred from entering the United States for 20 years or permanently.
This facility, known as "Eloy Detention Center" is also known as ICE Detention Facility, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
