Arizona Democrats raise concern about oversight of Surprise ICE facility

Lawmakers send letters to DHS, ICE and private contractor GardaWorld demanding answers on safety, spending and community input

SURPRISE, AZ (AZFamily) — Congressman Greg Stanton sent letters Wednesday to the Department of Homeland Security and GardaWorld, the private company hired to run the facility, raising concerns about safety, oversight and the lack of community input.

Stanton exclusively shared the letters with Arizona’s Family.

The letters also signed by fellow Democrats, Congresswomen Yassamin Ansari and Adelita Grijalva, were sent to DHS, ICE and GardaWorld, which was awarded a $313 million contract to renovate and operate the site.

“If you’re gonna put a building, a facility that is so massive, that’s gonna have such an impact on the community, you owe it to the people to reach out and talk to them, get their input before you move forward,” Stanton said.

The letters include 17 specific questions about how the facility would operate. Lawmakers are requesting a full accounting of how the $313 million will be spent, including a line-by-line breakdown and whether there is a cap on what taxpayers could ultimately pay.

Lawmakers are also asking why the contract was awarded through a defense procurement system rather than a traditional competitive bidding process.

“Why did you select a firm that has no experience in detention centers? They tried it once in so-called Alligator Alcatraz in Florida, which a court of law said has to close, and they’ve had major problems there,” Stanton said.

“DHS is trying to put a massive facility holding 1,500 people plus staff in effectively what is a jail in the middle of a neighborhood,” he added.

Some residents near the warehouse expressed concern about the facility’s proximity to homes, businesses and schools.

“I guess it has to go somewhere, however not close to where people live,” one resident said.

“I would prefer it not to be in the center of where all the people live and shop,” another resident said.

The letters also ask about security and safety for people living, working and going to school in the area. Some residents said their concerns center not on those detained inside, but on enforcement activity in the surrounding community.

“More from ICE and their brutal ways that they do things,” one resident said.

Others raised questions about whether local emergency services could be strained.

“I’m a resident of Surprise and we have to pay for police, fire, all of that stuff,” a resident said.

The letters also ask when construction at the site would begin.

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is still evaluating legal options, according to a spokesperson for her office, after questions about whether she would file a lawsuit to pause the project.

As of Wednesday afternoon, DHS and GardaWorld had not responded to the lawmakers’ questions.

“They owe the people of our community, and particularly the people in Surprise, Arizona, answers to some tough questions,” Stanton said.

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