Through the Immigrant Detention Advocacy Project, the ACLU of Arizona has worked for two years to document civil and human rights abuses in immigration detention centers in Arizona. Based on 115 face-to-face interviews with detainees held in Eloy and Florence, Arizona, the 36-page report, "In Their Own Words: Enduring Abuse in Arizona Immigration Detention Centers," is the most comprehensive report documenting the experiences of immigrants detained by the federal government in the state.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detains 3,000 men, women and children in Arizona on any given day. The detained immigrant population in Arizona makes up 10% of immigrants detained nationwide with Arizona having the third largest number of people in ICE custody. It is estimated that approximately 440,000 people will be detained by immigration authorities nationwide this year.