DHS agrees to pay Surprise $300K a year, limit operations as ICE detention center moves forward

PHOENIX— The planned Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Surprise will hold detainees for three to seven days before transferring them out of the city, Mayor Kevin Sartor said Monday in his most detailed public account of the project.

At a news conference at Surprise City Hall, Sartor detailed for the first time what city leaders learned during a March 19 meeting with Department of Homeland Security and ICE officials in Washington.

“My primary takeaway from this meeting with DHS is that they are committed to timely and consistent coordination with the city moving forward,” Sartor said.

DHS told city leaders the facility would house a maximum of 542 detainees. The facility could be operational by September, which is when the federal fiscal year ends.

The announcements came as protesters gathered outside city hall, the latest in a string of demonstrations since the federal government’s $70 million purchase of a 418,000-square-foot warehouse at 13290 W. Sweetwater Road came to light in late January.

DHS offers cash, oversight to offset facility’s impact

City officials and DHS found several ways to offset the facility’s impact to the city.

DHS agreed to pay the city $300,000 annually for use of the facility. Sartor said it offsets the lost tax revenue from the previously planned commercial distribution center. They also agreed to create a “cost recovery” mechanism for police, fire and EMS, though details are still being ironed out.

Sartor said DHS also promised to share site plans, host facility tours and create a community relations board.

Democratic state Sen. Analise Ortiz, D-Glendale, who is a vocal critic of the facility, attended the city’s news conference, calling the payments a way to quell city opposition.

“All of these just sound like ways to placate the outrage that has been shown from members of the public who do not want an actual death camp in their neighborhood,” Ortiz said in an Instagram post.

 

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Sartor said he is working with Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., to formalize DHS’s commitments in a memorandum of agreement.

“I appreciate his ability or want to help us get that memorandum of agreement in place, because it’s important for our city,” Sartor said of his coordination with Gosar.

Gosar’s office did not respond to KTAR News 92.3 FM’s request for comment.

The ICE deputy field office director in Phoenix has already been in contact with the city manager and has a follow-up meeting planned in coming weeks, according to Sartor.

From a $70 million ‘blindside’ to a seat at the table

The announcement marks a turning point in a saga that began Jan. 30, when the city publicly acknowledged the DHS purchase.

“(Surprise) was not aware that there were efforts underway to purchase the building (and) was not notified of the transaction by any of the parties involved,” city officials said in a statement.

On Feb. 11, Sartor wrote to then-DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons requesting details about the facility’s purpose. That resulted in a March 19 meeting in Washington, where Sartor, City Manager Andrea Davis and some council members met with DHS officials.

“We have moved from a place of zero communication and information to a position of direct communication and coordination,” Sartor said Monday.

DHS has awarded a $313 million contract to GardaWorld Federal Services to retrofit and operate the facility, with a potential value exceeding $700 million if extended through February 2029.

DHS to Surprise: No community releases, no enforcement near schools

In the March 19 meeting, DHS officials outlined security and operational plans for the facility.

According to Sartor, DHS told city leaders the facility would not trigger local immigration enforcement activities, a particular flashpoint given how close it is to an area high school. Sartor added that ICE confirmed that there would be no operations in sensitive areas such as schools, churches or senior centers.

Sartor claimed ICE plans to keep a low profile in the community.

“They will be limited visibility in the community, ensuring transportation would happen discreetly to minimize community impact and disruption,” Sartor said in Monday’s news conference.

Agreement does little to quiet opposition

Sartor recognized the outcome will not satisfy all residents, many of whom do not want the facility in Surprise at all.

“The federal government purchased the land. And whether we want it here or not, they’re here,” Sartor said. “And so from my perspective, how do we move forward as a city? How do we get information?”

When asked why Surprise did not take a harder legal stance as some other cities have, Sartor said he did not want to “initiate something that may not have come to fruition.”

The facility is one of at least 10 warehouses DHS has purchased nationwide as part of a broader effort to expand immigration detention capacity. Arizona Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego have co-sponsored legislation that would require federal approval from local governments before opening new detention facilities.

After Sartor’s news conference, residents gathered outside city hall to demand the city actively oppose the facility. Organizers from Northwest Valley Indivisible, along with students from nearby Dysart High School, called on the mayor and council to fight the facility’s opening rather than negotiate terms with DHS.

The group said Sartor’s willingness to work with the federal government does not reflect the wishes of the majority of the community.

The Surprise City Council will receive a formal briefing and hold a public comment period at its April 7 meeting. Ortiz encouraged community members to attend and “make your voice heard.”

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