Sacramento leaders question ICE about detained immigrants sleeping on floor
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Sacramento officials demand ICE transparency over reported unsafe detainment conditions.
- Reports allege immigrants slept on floors without food, restrooms or air conditioning.
- Local leaders seek facility access amid rising national scrutiny of ICE practices.
Sacramento elected officials have demanded transparency from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement following reports that some immigrants have spent multiple nights sleeping on the floor of a downtown office while detained.
In a letter sent to the local ICE field office Tuesday, the Sacramento City Council and Sacramento County Board Chairman Phil Serna said they had received reports of confined individuals held in “abhorrent conditions” at the John E. Moss federal building. Those conditions allegedly include limited water and food and a lack of access to restrooms and air conditioning.
“In light of this situation, we are requesting transparency on the conditions of the detained individuals … as well as access to tour the facilities to ensure the humane conditions and treatment of these individuals,” officials wrote in the letter.
The letter follows several reports from NorCal Resist that immigrants are being held overnight as part of their detainment. The organization, which has spent months monitoring arrests at the federal building, said there are estimates of more than 20 people who have been held in these conditions.
“It is important to note that this building was not designed for overnight stays,” said Giselle Garcia, programs director for NorCal Resist. “We denounce this practice and advocate for the immediate release of these community members.”
ICE, in an email statement on Friday, said the “query will be researched” but could not respond before The Sacramento Bee’s deadline when asked about NorCal Resist’s allegations. The agency did not respond to multiple follow-up emails this week.
Councilmember Eric Guerra, who spearheaded the letter, said he is hoping for an immediate response that allows elected officials to review the conditions of the facility.
“If someone is being held in unsanitary or unhealthy conditions, days matter and hours matter,” Guerra said.
The alleged conditions at the Sacramento federal building mirror recent accounts and videos that immigrants across the country are being kept inside immigration offices for consecutive days. In many cases, these offices are designed to only hold people for a few hours.
A Peruvian immigrant filed a lawsuit denouncing the unsanitary and overcrowded conditions in New York earlier this month, according to The New York Times.
In Sacramento, immigrants have already spent the last few months carefully navigating the downtown federal building which holds offices for several agencies including ICE. Federal authorities have taken people into custody at the building since late May.
This story was originally published August 20, 2025 at 12:01 PM.
