AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now! I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.

As the Trump administration continues to expand the ICE detention system, concerns are growing over the widening immigration crackdown. A new investigation by The Guardian found, during the first seven months of 2025, federal immigration agents arrested the parents of at least 27,000 children, including thousands of U.S. citizens. Advocates have warned of a new family separation crisis that could be far worse than Trump’s first term.

And a recent Washington Post investigation of ICE records details how guards in ICE jails are increasingly using chemical agents and physical force on prisoners, including on people simply demanding adequate water, food and medical care. As jails grow more crowded, ICE jails, in the first year of the Trump administration, the Post investigation found guards turned to punching and kicking prisoners, as well as using Tasers and pepper spray.

Federal data shows 73,000 people were being detained by ICE in jails across the U.S. in January, a record high that’s 84% higher than 2025.

For more on immigrant detention and the conditions under which immigrants are being held, we go to Arizona, where we’re joined by Congressmember Adelita Grijalva. She visited two ICE jails this week: the Dilley family detention center in Texas and the ICE facility in Florence, Arizona.

Congressmember Grijalva, thanks for joining us again. What did you find?

REP. ADELITA GRIJALVA: Both facilities, Dilley — I traveled there because it’s the only facility that keeps, really, moms and children together. I had a couple dads with children. And I wanted to understand what was happening there. And I had also heard from Representative Castro about the conditions there, and so I wanted to join him. And so, myself and the total of six of us went through the facility. They have an arrangement — and I think that it has to do with, you know, what Representative Castro has been able to establish as a rapport on that specific site — where people can sign up to speak to a member of Congress. I mean, it just so happened that I did have a constituent of mine in that facility, but it was just luck of the draw.

And what we heard about, but what we saw were completely different situations. We saw a medical facility that was pristine. Nobody — it didn’t look like anyone had used it. There are 400 people there, and not one person. It doesn’t look like it was used ever. We saw a huge buffet spread with this amazing food. But when you talk to people, they’re like, “Where is that food? Because the stuff that they’re giving us is inedible.” People are losing weight. The water is undrinkable. But according to, you know, what we saw in our little tour, people can drink as much as they want, they can eat as much as they want. So it was just a contradiction totally.

And there are a lot of people there that are not sure where they are in this process, because there’s not a lot of information being provided to anyone. The Florence project has highlighted the really grave concerns that they have about what’s happening there on that facility, medical care not being addressed. I spoke to a man who had a boot on his foot, like an orthopedic boot, and he said he was supposed to have a surgery the day after he was detained, but all they’ve done is given him ibuprofen and kept the boot on. So he’s very concerned about what’s happening, because it required surgery. There are people that have said, “I have self-deported. Why am I still here? No one is telling me anything.” And there are a lot of really significant abuses happening. You know, just there’s no rhyme or reason as to what’s going on there.

And then, in Florence, I didn’t get to talk to anyone. It was — I did an unannounced visit. I asked specifically to look at the area where people are — where the staging area is, because that’s the concerns that have come into our office about people that are in a staging area, that’s supposed to be no more than 72 hours, for more than two weeks. I looked at the facility. I couldn’t see where people were sleeping. I could see phones, big common area, like a jail. And it’s eerily quiet when you walk in, because all of the — all of the detention facility is behind soundproof glass. So, you see 200-300 people, but you can’t hear anybody.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Congressmember, I wanted to ask you also — on Wednesday, former acting ICE director and Trump’s so-called border czar, Tom Homan, spoke in Arizona at the 2026 Border Security Expo, where he escalated threats against cities and local leaders who refuse to participate in Trump’s raids and deportation campaign. Your response to Homan’s threats?

REP. ADELITA GRIJALVA: Yeah, we did see it as a threat. Myself and Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, we actually did a little video just as our reaction of his threat. And basically, it’s like there will be “collateral arrests.” That means anyone. They’re going to target people that look like me, that look like workers, that speak with an accent. They’re threatening to harass our communities. And we’re going to have to — we’re going to stand together and stand up for the people here.