Eloy Detention Center — Pinal County AZ (CoreCivic)
Overview
The Eloy Detention Center is a 1,550-bed CoreCivic-operated ICE detention facility in Eloy, Pinal County, Arizona. It is part of the Pinal County detention cluster — the largest concentration of private detention beds in the country, with 11,200+ CoreCivic beds within a 20-mile radius.
Deaths in Custody
Eloy has been called the “deadliest immigration detention center in the United States” with at least 16 deaths including 5 suicides:
- Serawit Gezahegn Dejene (Ethiopian national) — died January 29, 2025
- Oscar Rascon Duarte (Mexican national) — died September 8, 2025
- Multiple prior deaths documented by the Florence Project and advocacy organizations
Conditions
The Florence Project filed 53 complaints to DHS oversight from October 2022 to September 2024 documenting:
- Medical deficiencies
- Guard abuse
- Lack of legal access
- Disability rights violations
- Abusive use of segregation
The facility’s remote location (Eloy is ~60 miles south of Phoenix) creates significant barriers to legal representation.
The Pinal County Cluster
Eloy Detention Center sits within a remarkable concentration of CoreCivic facilities:
| Facility | Capacity | Primary Use |
|---|---|---|
| Central Arizona Florence Correctional Complex (CAFCC) | 5,003 | ICE, USMS, multiple agencies |
| La Palma Correctional Center | 3,060 | ICE (converted from CA state prisoners 2019) |
| Eloy Detention Center | 1,550 | ICE |
| Red Rock Correctional Center | 1,596 | AZ Dept of Corrections |
| Saguaro Correctional Center | varies | Hawaii, Idaho DOC |
| Total cluster | 11,200+ |
Current Warden
Eric Rokosky (named January 2026).