Surprise students concerned about ICE detention facility’s proximity to 3 schools

PHOENIX — Students in the Dysart Unified School District are speaking out against a proposed immigration detention facility in Surprise, saying its location near several campuses could put children at risk.

El Mirage Elementary School, Dysart Middle School and Dysart High School are all within around 2 miles of the warehouse, which the Department of Homeland Security bought for more than $70 million in January.

Cali Overs, a student at Dysart High School, is among those opposing plans to build the facility near her school.

“Due to budget cuts, every student living within 2 miles of school is not provided with bus transportation,” Overs said during a Friday event. “Hundreds and hundreds of students have to walk, drive or bike past this building every single day just to get to class. By placing this detention center within our path to school, DHS is creating an unnecessary risk for thousands of children.”

Students speak out as attorney general sues over detention facility

The concerns come after Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced Friday that she is suing DHS and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to block plans to convert the Surprise warehouse into a large immigration detention center.

The 418,000-square-foot warehouse near Dysart and Thunderbird roads could hold up to 1,500 people.

Overs said she has drafted a proposal that would require a 3-mile buffer between any detention facility and a school. She is now seeking support from local elected officials.

“Our student body is 60% Hispanic because of the recent Supreme Court decision that allows federal agents to use race and ethnicity to stop someone,” Overs said. “Students are worried about getting stopped on their way to school just because they’re Hispanic.”

Advocates for students condemn Surprise immigration detention facility

Other community members also have raised concerns about the facility’s proximity to local schools.

Terri Moody, a retired teacher and grandparent of three Dysart students, told the district governing board during a March 30 meeting that members should take a stand against the project.

Moody said the detention center also could hurt the district financially.

“The district would be responsible for schooling any minor within the ICE facility, which would also place a financial burden on the district in hiring qualified teachers to handle those students and to educate them,” Moody said. “Enrollment could potentially decrease as families choose to leave the district and the city of Surprise rather than have their children educated near this facility. Decreased enrollment would also push the district’s budget to the breaking point.”

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