Arizona AG sues Department of Homeland Security to stop ICE detention facility in Surprise

PHOENIX — Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is suing the Department of Homeland Security, as well as Immigration and Customs Enforcement, to block the agency’s plan to turn a Surprise warehouse into a large immigration detention facility.

“The federal government did not ask the people of Surprise whether they wanted this facility in their backyards,” Mayes said in a Friday announcement. “They simply bought a warehouse, handed a $300 million contract to a private company and told the city to deal with it.”

Her decision to take on DHS, its new leader Markwayne Mullin, and ICE  follows comments from Surprise Mayor Kevin Sartor, who told KTAR News 92.3 FM last week that he would not attempt to stop the project because the city has no legal grounds to do so.

Public pushback has been growing for months. Protesters have rallied against the proposed facility since reports surfaced that DHS quietly purchased a 418,000‑square‑foot warehouse at 13290 W. Sweetwater Ave, near Dysart and Thunderbird roads, to house detainees.

“The Trump administration has run roughshod over federal law in its rush to expand detention capacity across the country,” Mayes said.

What are Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes’ grounds for the lawsuit?

Federal officials bought the warehouse for $70 million in January. The facility could hold up to 1,500 people.

Mayes argues the building was designed as an industrial warehouse, not a detention center, and says DHS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement have not completed or released the environmental reviews required under the National Environmental Policy Act.

“We will do everything in our power to demand accountability from the federal government and to protect the health and safety of this community,” Mayes said.

She said the state does not know how federal officials plan to convert the warehouse into a safe place for people to live. She also said the site likely does not have the water and wastewater infrastructure needed to support hundreds of detainees.

Health risks are another concern for Mayes, who said the warehouse is in an industrial area across from a site that stores thousands of gallons of hazardous chemicals.

She also said the detention center could increase traffic and put added pressure on local and state emergency responders, especially if there were an incident at the nearby chemical site.

Mayes also argues the plan violates the Immigration and Nationality Act, which requires the federal government to use appropriate locations for immigration detention. Because the warehouse is near a potential chemical hazard, she says it is not a suitable site for a large detention center.

“The Trump administration is not exempt from following the law – placing such a facility in this area is reckless and dangerous,” Mayes said. “My office will not stand by while the federal government puts this community at risk.”

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