The insanity of inhumane activity: A 4-plus hour visit to Stewart Detention Center reveals horrifying conditions and a call to action
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The worst of the worst.
While this is the statement is made by the current occupant at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue (Washington, DC) and those in leadership associated with said occupant regarding the matter of immigration, it is well-documented the worst of the worst aren't those being detained:
As of July 11, 2026, 7 of 10 detainees do not have a criminal conviction. Most who have a conviction of some sort are for issues related to traffic violations and other minor offenses (click HERE to review the data and related documentation).
The recent (last month) findings are consistent with last year and draw into question the direction of said government entities stating they are "rounding up" so called threats when it is likely the threat is coming from the actions of said entities (click HERE for the LA Times report/KTLA from 2025).
And then there's what is discovered and reported upon as of August 18, 2026.
US Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Immigration, Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, along with members of Congress including Representatives Hank Johnson (GA-04), Nikema Williams (GA-05), Valerie Foushee (NC-04), and Deborah Ross (NC-02), make an oversight visit at Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, GA. Needless to say, their visit not only confirms a clear and present need for changes across the board, ranging from policy to shutting down all private, for-profit detentions centers as their actions are highly questionable.
The following are direct quotes from the members of Congress during their 4-hour visit of the facilities along with speaking with personnel and those who are being held at the facility:
We are horrified by the situation here at Stewart. We believe this detention center should be shut down. What we heard from detained people today was that they are not getting the care, the proper food, or the clean water that ICE says they are - to the point that we heard from several people who are simply not drinking water that they haven't bottled from the commissary. Stewart is a failure of the promise of America, and I will continue working to get this facility and all private, for-profit detention centers, shut down (Representative Jayapal).
Stewart Detention Center has a long history of denying basic human dignity and rights to detainees. Since he took office, the Stephen Miller/Steve Bannon bandwagon that has been rolling throughout the country collecting immigrants and then depositing them into facilities like Stewart Detention Facility, where they languish for months and even years at a time (Representative Johnson).
We conducted an oversight visit to Stewart Detention Center because accountability requires seeing firsthand how people in our nation's immigration detention system are being treated. Some of the people detained in facilities like this came to this country with their parents at two or three years old - this is the only country they have ever called home. Yet they are being held as if they are hardened criminals. I will continue to do this work because everyone in this country, regardless of where they were born or their documentation status, deserves to be treated with respect (Representative Williams).
It was heart-wrenching to hear detained people talk about their stories and the family members that they had left. We heard from a gentleman whose wife has end stage renal disease, and she's not getting the proper care. For people not to be able to have contact and to have to constantly be worried about the conditions of their family members back at home is another level of cruelty that has been added to the conditions under which they live. We didn't get a whole lot of answers, but we saw a lot of things (Representative Foushee).
You cannot make money off the backs of immigrants and poor people. It is inhumane. It is unjust. And it is your taxpayer dollars, at least $150 a day to hold people who shouldn't even be in detention in the first place. This has got to stop now (Representative Ross).
Compounding the findings from their oversight visit are the documented findings from immigration advocates, federal agencies, independent watchdog groups, facility staff, and detained people the unsanitary conditions, inadequate and inedible food, medical neglect, nonexistent mental health care, inappropriate and overuse of solitary confinement, and use of force associated with Stewart's history, leading to more of a call for the detention center to be closed and policies overseeing private and related venues enhanced and enforced. This includes current overcrowding by a few hundred (as of July 27, 2026).
Since the current president's term (January 2025), there are 2 documented suicides at the facility.
Clearly, there are some grave areas of concern, starting with the resonating message there are people there who should not even be there (you may watch the full video with all members of Congress and their complete remarks below):
It is seemingly horrifying and a call to action, be it at this time, midterms, or any time, is likely in need today.
NOTES: We thank Representative Johnson's office for providing the video and related direct notes from the recent oversight visit.
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