Rep. Matsui tours Sacramento ICE facility on third attempt. ‘Almost too clean’
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Rep. Doris Matsui accessed Sacramento ICE site after two blocked attempts.
- Facility appeared sanitized but failed to ease concerns of inhumane treatment.
- ICE faced criticism from activists; agency denies reports of poor conditions.
After repeated denials, Rep. Doris Matsui toured a Sacramento immigration facility on Friday morning but still left concerned about the conditions people are enduring inside the building.
The visit followed two previous attempts by Matsui to enter the U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement office in downtown Sacramento. Last month, reports surfaced that ICE had kept people overnight without adequate shelter, limited water, little access to restrooms and no air conditioning. Matsui and local elected officials responded with letters and public statements demanding transparency.
Matsui, who arrived unannounced previous times in August, argued her “constitutional right” as a congresswoman allowed her to inspect the facility. The latest visit started around 9 a.m. Friday and was scheduled by appointment at the John E. Moss federal building, which holds offices for several agencies.
Matsui said on Friday the facility looked “clearly sanitized” and did not address her concerns about the alleged conditions reported by community advocates. The circumstances in Sacramento mirror similar reports across the country that immigrants are being kept inside overcrowded and unsanitary offices for multiple days.
“It was almost too clean. … I trust the community. I trust the people who have come forward,” Matsui said.
ICE has not responded to multiple requests for comment from The Sacramento Bee in recent weeks. In a statement to KCRA last month, a senior official with the Department of Homeland Security called the alleged conditions “unequivocally FALSE.”
“All detainees have unlimited access to food, water, and snacks,” the Aug. 24 statement to KCRA said. “They have access to restrooms and showers. They have the opportunity to speak to lawyers and family members and are provided with bedding. These sanctuary politicians’ dangerous rhetoric is contributing to a 1,000% surge in assaults against the brave men and women of ICE.”
Giselle Garcia, programs director for NorCal Resist, echoed Matsui’s comments on Friday. Garcia said the scheduled visit came only after weeks of calls for transparency and gave officials time to present a “sanitized setting.” Garcia said she and other volunteers noted that ICE agents on Friday were dressed in suits and had nametags. She said this was a first since the activist organization began monitoring the federal building in May.
“Even if they were sanitized for this visit, we just hope that they continue to be in the state that they were today, and that they don’t hold people overnight and conditions are inhumane,” Garcia said.
This story was originally published September 5, 2025 at 3:03 PM.
