Judge Hears Testimony on Overcrowded Cells at Broadview Facility

(BROADVIEW, ILLINOIS, NEAR CHICAGO) A federal judge on November 4, 2025 heard wrenching testimony describing severe overcrowding, overflowing toilets, and a lack of basic necessities at the Broadview immigration site near Chicago, as detainees and advocates urged immediate court intervention. Multiple detainees called the conditions “disgusting” and “unnecessarily cruel,” while U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman said,

“To have to sleep on a floor next to an overflowing toilet — that’s obviously unconstitutional,”
and weighed a temporary restraining order aimed at forcing changes at the facility.

Felipe Agustin Zamacona, 47, an Amazon driver and longtime U.S. resident, told the court, “I don’t want anyone else to live what I lived through.” He said he was held in a cell with 150 people and had to take another man’s spot just to lie down and sleep. The water from the sink, he added, “tasted like sewer.” Attorneys said the Broadview immigration site, which has become a transit hub for people in U.S. immigration custody near Chicago, has packed detainees into large cells with no beds, no blankets, no toothbrushes, and no toothpaste, forcing people to sleep on floors beside overflowing toilets.

Another detainee, Pablo Moreno Gonzalez, 56, said he was arrested while waiting to start work and placed in a cell with 150 others. “It was just really bad. … It was just too much,” he testified, breaking down as he described how people went days without bedding or hygiene supplies. Lawyers said Moreno Gonzalez’s account matched other reports from the facility: supplies were absent, toilets clogged, and people rationed space on concrete floors in shifts because there were no bunks.

A Honduran woman, Claudia Carolina Pereira Guevara, said she was held at Broadview for five days in October after being separated from her two children in the United States. She told the court she used a garbage bag to clear a clogged toilet because staff did not provide cleaning materials. “They gave us nothing that had to do with cleaning. Absolutely nothing,” she said. Her description echoed broader claims that detainees improvised with garbage bags as toilets overflowed and that the only available water “tasted like sewer,” raising sanitation and health concerns inside cells crowded with up to 150 people.

Judge Gettleman did not hide his alarm. He called the allegations “disgusting” and pressed government attorneys on why people were sleeping on floors beside human waste. The judge said,

“To have to sleep on a floor next to an overflowing toilet — that’s obviously unconstitutional,”
a remark that underscored the stakes of the hearing and the possibility of immediate court action. The court is considering a temporary restraining order that could require the government to address sanitation, sleeping arrangements, and access to hygiene at Broadview while a larger lawsuit proceeds.

Attorney Alexa Van Brunt of the MacArthur Justice Center argued the accounts show a systemic failure that demands urgent relief. “These are a set of dire conditions that when taken together paint a harrowing picture,” she said, urging the court to require basic supplies, adequate sleeping space, and safe water. Van Brunt and other attorneys said the reports of overcrowding and unsanitary conditions at the Broadview immigration site were not isolated, noting repeated complaints and recent protests outside the facility as signs of a deeper problem that has grown as more people pass through the Chicago area in federal custody.

The Justice Department did not dispute that there are no beds at Broadview, and government lawyers maintained the site was not built for long-term detention. Justice Department attorney Jana Brady acknowledged the lack of beds but told the court, “The conditions are not sufficiently serious,” and said operations have improved recently. Officials said Broadview functions as a short-term holding and transfer location rather than a traditional detention center, though attorneys for detainees countered that the time people spend there has lengthened and conditions have not kept pace. As of June 4, the median detention time at Broadview was nearly 48 hours, four times longer than previously reported.

Greg Bovino, the Border Patrol commander who oversees Chicago operations, defended the site against claims of dangerous conditions. “I think they’re doing a great job out there,” he said, portraying Broadview as a facility under pressure that remained within operational norms. Government filings emphasized the site’s role in processing and transferring people quickly, a function officials said can put strain on space and staffing even in normal weeks.

Accounts from the hearing described a stark routine once detainees arrived: people clustered in crowded cells without beds or blankets, improvised sleep schedules on bare floors, and limited access to food, water, and medical care. Detainees said the only sinks produced water that “tasted like sewer,” while toilets clogged and spilled over. Without cleaning supplies, detainees used garbage bags to scoop out waste so others could use the same toilets. People reported no toothbrushes or toothpaste even after days in custody. Advocates argued that hygiene lapses carry obvious consequences in a crowded room, from stomach illnesses linked to bad water to infections spread on shared, unclean floors.

A lawsuit filed last week alleges that the Broadview immigration site denied proper access to food, water, and medical care. It also claims detainees were pressured to sign documents they did not understand and, in some cases, were made to waive rights or accept deportation without full information. Attorneys said the combination of overcrowding, poor sanitation, and high-pressure paperwork creates an environment where detainees struggle to assert basic rights. They asked the court to order immediate reforms, including minimum supplies and limits on headcounts per cell, while the broader case moves forward.

Protests have grown outside the facility in recent months as reports of overcrowding and harsh conditions drew attention from advocates and local groups. Up to 200 people have been held at a time, according to filings referenced in court, and demonstrations have led to arrests and a separate lawsuit over alleged excessive force by federal agents. Organizers said the aim is to reduce crowding and ensure people receive clean water, safe sleeping space, and the ability to contact lawyers and family. In court, attorneys said public pressure reflects persistent conditions that are visible to those leaving the site and to families waiting for news.

The Broadview immigration site’s defenders point to its intended role as a short-stay link in a larger federal system. But attorneys for detainees said that design does not excuse the absence of basic hygiene supplies or a safe place to sleep. They argued that a short-stay facility with a median stay nearing two days must still meet elementary standards. The government said operations had improved and emphasized that beds are not part of Broadview’s setup, but the judge’s reaction suggested the court viewed the allegations as more than minor discomforts.

For detainees like Zamacona and Moreno Gonzalez, the debate comes down to what they described living through inside cells packed well beyond comfort or safety. Zamacona said he swapped places with another person to lie down at all and could not drink the sink water because it “tasted like sewer.” Moreno Gonzalez said, “It was just really bad. … It was just too much,” and detailed how people coped with the absence of bedding or basic toiletries. Pereira Guevara said the lack of cleaning supplies forced her to use a garbage bag to clear a toilet most people had to share in close quarters. Attorneys said these are not outliers but common threads running through testimony, declarations, and medical complaints tied to the site.

The judge’s comments signaled potential near-term changes through court order.

“To have to sleep on a floor next to an overflowing toilet — that’s obviously unconstitutional,”
Gettleman said, repeating his concern as lawyers debated whether the conditions presented a legal violation or a logistical challenge. A temporary restraining order could direct the government to reduce headcounts per cell, provide bedding or mats, stock hygiene items, and ensure safe drinking water. Government lawyers said they would follow any court-ordered steps while continuing to process people quickly through Broadview to other facilities.

The hearing also spotlighted the gap between policy on paper and life in a crowded cell. Federal facilities are expected to meet basic custody standards, including access to hygiene and sanitation. Advocates argued Broadview falls short, citing testimony about toilets that overflow, water that “tasted like sewer,” and the lack of toothbrushes or toothpaste. ICE says standards apply to its facilities nationwide; the agency publishes guidelines on safety, medical care, and living conditions for people in custody. Those standards are publicly posted by the agency as the ICE National Detention Standards.

As the court weighs its decision, the Broadview immigration site has become a symbol of a system stretched past its limits, with overcrowding and makeshift fixes colliding with basic dignity. For the detainees who testified, the ask was less about policy and more about the space to sleep without inhaling the scent of a backed-up toilet, a cup of water that doesn’t “tasted like sewer,” and a toothbrush to get through a second day on a crowded floor. Whether the court issues a temporary restraining order could determine how quickly those changes arrive, and whether the stories from Broadview continue to echo as the lawsuit moves ahead.