A former Arizona sheriff has said standards in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody are “irritatingly high,” adding that it discourages many local sheriffs from contracting with the agency.

Why It Matters

ICE has been at the forefront of the immigration debate after President Donald Trump ordered the agency to ramp up immigration arrests in a bid to enact widespread mass deportations. Immigration arrests and detention have risen sharply in the Republican‘s second term, leaving stretched detention centers at maximum capacity.

The agency has since faced allegations of misconduct, including inadequate medical care, unsafe living conditions, and preventable deaths in detention facilities. Supporters argue that strict enforcement is necessary to uphold U.S. immigration laws, while critics say the system is inhumane.

What To Know

Former Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb made the remarks in an interview with Newsmax on Tuesday, where he argued that the strict requirements discourage sheriffs from housing immigration detainees.

“The standard of care that is required for people in our facilities, especially those on an ICE detainer or ICE hold, is extremely high, irritatingly high, to the point where most sheriffs don’t even want to engage in those contracts because of how high the standard is,” Lamb told the outlet.

“The care in those facilities is beyond what Americans would expect or anticipate for someone who broke the law and came to this country illegally.”

Lamb’s remarks come as Arizona Democratic Representative Yassamin Ansari and immigrant-rights advocates have raised concerns about the treatment of detainees in some ICE facilities, citing reports of medical neglect, unsafe conditions, and extreme heat.

Ansari visited the Elroy Detention Center on Saturday and spoke with 23 migrant detainees, who described experiencing what she called “dehumanizing, racist, and unacceptable treatment” while held at the facility.

“They do not have access to quality water; the water that they are given to drink has chlorine in it, it is giving them rashes on their bodies,” Ansari said Saturday. “They all said that they are getting used underwear.”

Ansari said that during her tour of the facility, she spoke with a detainee, Arbella Rodriguez Marquez, who had been diagnosed with leukemia and reportedly denied specialized treatment. Marquez had bruises covering her body and was frequently “coughing up blood” and “vomiting,” according to Ansari.

Newsweek contacted Ansari outside of office hours via email for comment regarding Lamb’s remarks.

Newsweek previously reported on a case of alleged medical neglect at the Eloy Detention Center in which a man died after his HIV went undiagnosed for months while in ICE custody.

Medical experts previously told Newsweek that the case raises concerns about health screening in detention facilities.

The 45-year-old Ethiopian man died on January 29, 2025, from “complications of multiple infections in the setting of human immunodeficiency virus,” according to a medical examiner’s report. His condition went unaddressed during nearly four months in Eloy Detention Center, and three leading infectious disease public health researchers said opportunities to save his life were missed.

Since the start of the fiscal year in October, at least 13 people have died in immigration detention.

What People Are Saying

Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari said outside Eloy Detention Center: “I spoke with more than two dozen women; one woman in particular, she has leukemia, she has been there for five months. She has lost 55 pounds, and she has still not been able to see a specialist.”

Brian Todd, a spokesperson for Elroy operator CoreCivic, previously told Newsweek: “We take seriously our obligation to adhere to all applicable federal detention standards in all our ICE contracted facilities, including our Eloy Detention Center.

Former Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb told Newsmax regarding Ansari’s comments:”She is wrong, she is inciting the public, and I can tell you firsthand that those facilities far surpass the care that we should expect for somebody who broke the law and came to this country illegally.”