🔔 Site Updated: March 23, 2026: Council DC trip produced results; DHS made verbal promises (none in writing); partial opening now targeted for late May; April 7 council meeting is next action point
⚠️ PARTIAL OPENING NOW TARGETED FOR LATE MAY: DHS told council officials they could house 250 people in Surprise by late May, months ahead of the September 30 full opening. DHS made four verbal promises in the DC meeting. None are in writing. April 7 is the next council meeting. GardaWorld's $313M contract is active. A federal court halted Maryland's identical facility on NEPA grounds. The fight is not over.

Stop the ICE Detention Facility in Surprise

The federal government purchased a massive warehouse in our community. New documents reveal it could hold up to 10,000 detainees for months at a time, far beyond what DHS originally disclosed. The City of Surprise still has no formal answers. Our community is not giving up.

8,000+Comments Filed Against
Late MayPartial Opening Target
Days Until Full Opening
$700M+Taxpayer Cost (and climbing)
12+ICE Sites Cancelled
Take Action Now Contact Officials
🚨Breaking News 📋The Facts ✊Take Action 💬Talking Points 🔍Evidence 📬Contact Officials 📝Send a Letter 🔔Get Updates 📰Sources

🚨 Latest News

Updated March 23, 2026

Tap any headline to expand or collapse

🚨 March 23, 2026: DC Trip Produced Results, But Promises Are Verbal Only. Partial Opening Targeted for Late May. ▼

The Surprise City Council returned from Washington with more information than they left with, and some commitments from DHS, but not a cancellation and not a single thing in writing. City Manager Andrea Davis, Mayor Sartor, and Councilmembers met with federal ICE officials last week. The city said the conversation was "an important step." Councilman Melton said he wants everything promised put into a formal intergovernmental agreement. The next public debrief is April 7. And the timeline just got shorter: DHS told the city they could house 250 people in Surprise by late May.

  • ✈️ City Manager Andrea Davis, Mayor Kevin Sartor, and Councilmembers met with federal immigration officials in Washington, D.C. last week
  • 🤝 Rep. Gosar (R) and Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) were both instrumental in securing the meeting; bipartisan pressure opened the door
  • 📅 DHS said it could partially open by late May, housing up to 250 people, months ahead of the September 30 full-opening target. Melton: "It's an aggressive schedule."
  • 💰 DHS committed to a "bed tax" to offset city infrastructure and public safety costs, since the Supremacy Clause exempts it from property taxes
  • 👁️ DHS offered to allow the council to tour the facility before it houses anyone
  • 🏫 DHS officials said ICE agents would not enter local government buildings like senior centers and schools, though Trump reversed the longstanding policy protecting those sites in January 2025
  • 👥 DHS committed to creating a "community relations board," with no clarity on who serves or what power it holds
  • ✏️ None of these commitments are in writing. Melton: "What I am looking for is to have all those promises in some kind of writing. I don't care if it's an intergovernmental agreement or whatever, but I would like to see that in writing."
  • ⚠️ DHS's official statement still refers to the facility as the "Glendale Processing Facility," not Surprise, raising questions about which jurisdiction's resources and laws apply
  • 📅 The council will share a full public debrief at its next open meeting: April 7
"The conversation was an important step in obtaining additional information and clarity regarding future federal operations in Surprise, and emphasized the importance of transparency, as well as timely communication and coordination, so the city can be fully informed and prepared."City of Surprise official statement, March 23, 2026
"What I am looking for is to have all those promises, especially that last one, in some kind of writing. I don't care if it's an intergovernmental agreement or whatever, but I would like to see that in writing."Councilman Johnny Melton, KJZZ, March 23, 2026

Source: KJZZ (NPR Arizona), March 23, 2026 →

🎓 March 7–8, 2026: Student Leader at Dysart High Launches 1,000+ Signature Petition ▼
  • 🧑 17-year-old Cali Overs, a student leader at Dysart High School, launched a petition opposing the facility; it has gathered over 1,000 signatures
  • 🏫 The DHS building sits approximately half a mile from both Dysart High School and Dysart Middle School
  • 💬 Overs: "The detention center hasn't even opened yet, but people are still scared."
  • 📣 She is calling on school administrators to remind students of their rights and to communicate more clearly with students and faculty about the facility's potential impact
  • 📋 Her next step: attending the next Dysart Unified governing board meeting to demand clearer communication
  • 🏫 Dysart Unified statement: "Our priority remains dedicated to providing a high-quality education in a safe and supportive environment for all students" and declined to comment further
  • 💡 Legacy Traditional School (same street as the warehouse) and Dysart's schools are both within the facility's direct impact zone
"I was elected to be in this position, to be the voice. I'm prepared to put prom and end-of-the-year plans on the back burner if it means standing up for my classmates."Cali Overs, student leader, Dysart High School, March 2026

Source: AZFamily, March 7–8, 2026 →

What We Know

The documented facts about the proposed ICE facility

Location
13290 W Sweetwater Avenue
Building Size
418,400 sq ft on 24 acres
Purchase Price
$70,000,000 (cash)
Purchase Date
January 23, 2026
DHS Official Name
"Surprise Processing Site"
Stated Capacity
1,500 beds (docs say up to 10,000)
Retrofit Cost
$150 million
3-Year Operating Cost
$180 million
Total Taxpayer Cost
$400M+ (beyond purchase)
DHS Target Opening
September 30, 2026
City Notification
NONE (DHS Officially Confirmed)
DHS Written Answers to City
NONE (Still Waiting)

Nearby Sensitive Locations

🏫

Legacy Traditional School

on the same street at 14506 W Sweetwater Ave. K-8 school with 1,868 students just blocks away.

🏘️

Marley Park Community

5,000+ residents, average age 36. Young families who chose this area for its safety and schools.

🏡

Copper Canyon Ranch

2,830 residents, gated family community; the warehouse sits just 300 yards from residential homes.

Sources: KJZZ, AZFamily, 12News, AZ Attorney General

💬 Respond with Confidence

Know the facts when the conversation gets hard

🏛️"The city has no power here; federal law overrules everything."

The city has more leverage than officials are letting on. While federal law does supersede local zoning, the city controls water hookups, sewer service, and electrical agreements, and can condition those on transparency.

AG Kris Mayes is pursuing a public nuisance lawsuit. In Hanover County, VA and Oklahoma City, formal opposition by local officials directly led to property owners withdrawing. The political cost matters.

💡 Even Rep. Gosar (R) demanded answers; this isn't about politics, it's about process.
🚔"We need more immigration enforcement, not less."

This campaign isn't about immigration policy; it's about transparency and community impact. You can support enforcement and still demand that a facility of this scale not be placed next to a K-8 school without any notice.

Rep. Paul Gosar, who strongly supports the president's immigration agenda, called DHS's process "crappy" and demanded written answers. Even supporters of enforcement agree this process was wrong.

💡 The city wasn't told. The school wasn't told. That's the issue.
🏭"It's just a short-term processing center, not a real prison."

DHS's own documents show the facility could fall into a second category: 7,000–10,000 detainees for stays up to 60 days. DHS has not clarified which type Surprise will be, and their documents contradict each other.

Arizona's existing ICE facility in Eloy, originally described in similar terms, became the deadliest detention center in America. ICE's largest new facility (Camp East Montana, El Paso) is now being considered for closure after three deaths, a measles outbreak, and 60+ federal standards violations in under eight months.

💡 DHS said 1,500. Their own docs say up to 10,000. Which is it?
🏠"How does this actually affect my property value and daily life?"

In Minneapolis, businesses reported 50–80% revenue drops and police worked 3,000+ overtime hours in 4 days at a cost of $2–3M to taxpayers. Schools went into lockdown.

Construction of a $150M facility creates years of heavy traffic, noise, and disruption on Sweetwater Avenue, the same street as Legacy Traditional School. Emergency service demands will increase, potentially raising city costs passed to taxpayers.

💡 Oklahoma City, Hanover County, Merrimack NH, Tennessee, and Mississippi all stopped similar facilities.
⚖️"Isn't ICE only targeting dangerous criminals?"

Federal data shows that only 25% of people detained nationally in January 2026 had any criminal record. The majority are civil immigration detainees, not criminal defendants.

A facility holding thousands of people near schools and neighborhoods raises real community health and safety concerns regardless of who is inside: traffic, disease transmission, emergency response strain, and more.

💡 75% of those detained have no criminal record, per DHS's own data.
🔥"What about the arson? Doesn't that prove the opposition is extreme?"

Community leaders and elected officials at every level immediately condemned the vandalism as illegal, dangerous, and counterproductive. Councilman Melton was explicit: "That doesn't help anybody."

Over 1,000 people showed up peacefully at city hall. Hundreds more at the February 18 meeting. That peaceful democratic pressure is what forced Gosar to write letters, got AG Mayes involved, and generated national AP coverage. One person's criminal act does not represent this community.

💡 Our movement is peaceful, legal, and it's already working.

Take Action Now

Here's what matters most right now

✓

February 3rd Council Meeting DONE: 1,000+ Showed Up

Over 1,000 residents packed City Hall in an unprecedented turnout. This meeting changed everything and forced responses from officials at every level of government.

✓

February 18th Council Meeting DONE: Standing Room Only

Another standing-room-only crowd. City leaders confirmed they are still waiting for formal written answers from DHS. The pressure is working.

✓

DC Trip: March 15–19 DONE: Meeting Secured, Promises Made

The Council met with federal ICE officials in Washington. DHS made four verbal commitments: a bed tax to offset city costs, a facility tour before opening, a promise to stay out of schools and senior centers, and a community relations board. None are in writing. Councilman Melton publicly called for a formal intergovernmental agreement before any of it can be counted on.

1

April 7 Council Meeting: Show Up and Demand the Promises in Writing

DHS told the city it could partially open with 250 detainees by late May, months ahead of the September 30 full opening. DHS made four promises in the DC meeting. None are in writing. The council will debrief publicly on April 7. Pack that room. Demand a formal intergovernmental agreement before a single detainee arrives. Demand the council pass a formal resolution opposing the facility.

2

Support AG Mayes's Legal Challenge: A Federal Court Just Validated the NEPA Argument

On March 12, a federal judge halted construction of Maryland's identical ICE facility, ruling DHS likely violated the National Environmental Policy Act. AG Mayes has been watching this case. Her public nuisance threat and any NEPA-based legal action now has direct federal court precedent behind it. Let her office know constituents back her pursuing every available legal tool.

  • Contact AG Mayes: azag.gov →
  • Share updates with #NoICEinSurprise
3

Demand Gosar Release DHS's Written Response and the NEPA Results

Thank him for demanding transparency and push him to release any DHS written response publicly, including the withheld NEPA environmental survey results.

4

Contact Senators Kelly and Gallego

Push them to follow up on the withheld NEPA results, demand answers from GardaWorld on the $313M contract, and press for a congressional hearing on the facility's community impacts.

5

Keep Spreading the Word

DHS said 1,500. Documents show up to 10,000 for months at a time. That's the story. Share it.

  • Share this page on Nextdoor, Facebook, community groups
  • Use #NoICEinSurprise on all platforms
  • Tell neighbors: "This is stoppable. Merrimack, NH just proved it again."
  • Contact your HOA and Legacy Traditional School PTA

What Happens to Communities with ICE Facilities

Documented impacts, with sources

💰 GardaWorld: $313M to $704M Contract, No Detention Experience, No Competitive Bid (March 2026)
  • DHS awarded GardaWorld Federal Services the contract on March 6, 2026; base value $313.4M, with options to $704M through February 2029
  • GardaWorld provides security at Florida's "Alligator Alcatraz" Everglades facility, which has faced ongoing lawsuits, environmental challenges, and documented conditions problems
  • The company has never been directly contracted to design, build, or operate a detention facility; it has no prior detention management experience
  • The contract was awarded through a Department of Defense procurement system, bypassing the standard public competitive bidding process
  • Reps. Stanton, Ansari, and Grijalva demanded written answers from both DHS and GardaWorld within 15 business days on March 11–12, including questions on qualifications, accountability, safety standards, and community communication
  • Total taxpayer exposure: $70M purchase + $150M retrofit + $313M–$704M GardaWorld contract = well over $1 billion

Why this matters for Surprise: A contractor with no detention experience, awarded a billion-dollar contract without competitive bidding, is being handed responsibility for a facility next to a K-8 school. This is the same company whose Florida facility faces ongoing lawsuits.

Sources: AZFamily (March 10–11) | Rep. Stanton press release (March 12) | Tucson Sentinel (March 12)

⚖️ Federal Court Victory: Maryland's NEPA Argument Just Won. Arizona Has the Same Case. (March 2026)
  • On March 11–12, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order halting construction of Maryland's ICE warehouse facility in Williamsport
  • The judge ruled DHS "likely failed to comply" with the National Environmental Policy Act: no environmental review, no public input, no state consultation
  • The Williamsport facility is nearly identical to Surprise in scope: a purchased warehouse being converted to a 1,500-bed ICE detention center
  • AG Mayes had been monitoring the Maryland case; the ruling directly validates the legal arguments available in Arizona
  • The Surprise facility faces the same NEPA vulnerabilities: no environmental review, no community input, and DHS deliberately withheld the environmental survey it already conducted
  • Maryland AG Brown: "Federal immigration authorities are barreling past their legal obligations in an effort to build an immigration detention facility as quickly as they can."

The legal path forward: A NEPA-based lawsuit by AG Mayes would cite the same violations the Maryland court just found credible enough to halt construction. The precedent is now on the books.

Sources: Washington Post (March 11) | Maryland Daily Record (March 12)

📋 The "ICE Detention Reengineering Initiative": What DHS's Own Documents Reveal
  • DHS confirms a national "ICE Detention Reengineering Initiative"; Surprise is one of the first warehouse purchases
  • Two facility types: Regional (1,500 beds, 3–7 days) and Large-Scale (7,000–10,000 beds, up to 60 days)
  • DHS has not clarified which type Surprise will be; the documents contradict themselves
  • NEPA environmental survey was conducted; the results were deliberately omitted from released documents
  • City has not independently verified DHS's claims about water, power, or safety impact

Source: KJZZ (Feb 18, 2026)

🚨 ICE's Largest New Facility Being Considered for Closure After 8 Months (March 2026)
  • Camp East Montana at Fort Bliss (El Paso, TX), ICE's flagship new facility with and roughly 3,000 detainees, is being reviewed for closure after less than 8 months of operation
  • Three detainee deaths in under six weeks, including one ruled a homicide by a medical examiner
  • Measles outbreak forced the facility to close to visitors; TB outbreak also documented
  • A required ICE inspection found conditions violating at least 60 federal standards for immigration detention; the results were never released publicly
  • 911 calls at nearly one per day for five months: attempted suicides, fights, medical neglect, detainees losing dangerous amounts of weight due to insufficient food
  • 80% of detainees at the camp had no criminal record, per ICE data

Why this matters for Surprise: ICE's own flagship facility, built with $1.3 billion in federal contracts, is failing its most basic health and safety standards in under a year. This is the model being proposed for a warehouse next to a K-8 school in Surprise.

Sources: Washington Post (March 4) | NBC News (March 5) | AP / Boston Globe (March 6)

🏚️ Also in Arizona: Marana Facility Formally Contracted (February 2026)
  • DHS posted a formal sole-source contract notice for Management & Training Corporation (MTC) to operate a 513–775 bed facility at a shuttered state prison in Marana (near Tucson)
  • ICE target date for Marana: November 30, 2026
  • Pima County Board of Supervisors voted 4–1 to formally oppose the facility
  • Reps. Ansari, Grijalva, and Stanton sent a joint letter to DHS demanding transparency on Marana
  • The same congressional allies fighting for Surprise are fighting Marana; Arizona is resisting on multiple fronts
  • Pima County's 4–1 formal opposition vote is the type of resolution Surprise should pass before the DC trip

The takeaway: Surprise is not alone. This is a statewide fight, and organized opposition at the local level is the proven strategy.

Sources: AZFamily | KJZZ | Arizona Mirror (Feb 26–27, 2026)

📍 Minneapolis, MN: January 2026
  • Police worked 3,000+ overtime hours in 4 days at a cost of $2–3 million to taxpayers
  • Businesses reported 50–80% revenue decreases
  • Schools forced into lockdown to protect students
  • State and cities filed federal lawsuit citing "chaos" and constitutional violations

Sources: City of Minneapolis, CBS Minnesota, MN Attorney General

✅ Oklahoma City: January 2026 (STOPPED)
  • Proposed 1,500-bed facility CANCELLED after community opposition
  • Hours of public testimony at city council meetings
  • Property owners withdrew after sustained community pressure
  • Mayor Holt: "I commend the owners for their decision"

Sources: KOCO News, KGOU (NPR), News9

✅ Hanover County, VA: January 2026 (STOPPED)
  • Board of Supervisors formally opposed the facility
  • Estimated $1M+ annual reduction in tax revenue cited
  • "Unplanned demands on public services, including public safety"
  • Property owner withdrew from sale after community opposition

Sources: WVTF (NPR), NBC12, CBS6 Richmond

✅ Merrimack, NH: February 24, 2026 (STOPPED: The Surprise Template)
  • Governor traveled to Washington DC, met directly with DHS Secretary Noem, and the facility was cancelled the same week
  • Proposed 400–600 bed facility in a 324,000 sq ft warehouse, a similar scale to Surprise
  • Community packed town meetings; flooded governor's office with calls and emails
  • Local government formally opposed the facility before the governor's DC trip
  • Town manager: "This is democracy at its best." State rep: "This community has fought giants and has come out victorious."

Sources: Boston Globe (Feb 24) | NHPR (Feb 24)

⚠️ Eloy, AZ: Arizona's Existing ICE Facility
  • Called "deadliest immigration detention center in the U.S." by Rep. Raúl Grijalva
  • 16+ deaths including 5 suicides since opening
  • 9% of all U.S. detention deaths despite being just 1 of 250+ facilities
  • 53 complaints in 2 years for medical neglect, abuse, excessive segregation

Sources: Detention Watch Network, NPR

🦠 Arizona ICE Facilities: Active Measles Outbreak, 2026
  • At least 3 confirmed measles cases among detainees at the Florence Detention Center in Pinal County; the facility was placed under quarantine
  • Arizona's Department of Health Services reports 31+ measles cases statewide in 2026 alone
  • Reps. Ansari, Stanton, Grijalva, and Sen. Kelly sent a joint letter demanding answers about the outbreak and ICE's containment procedures
  • In 2016, a measles outbreak at an Arizona ICE facility resulted in 30+ cases among detainees and 9 staff members
  • Detention center employees travel between facility and community daily, creating a real transmission pathway to local neighborhoods and schools

Why this matters for Surprise: A new 1,500–10,000 bed facility on the same street as a K-8 school creates this exact risk in our community.

Sources: CNN (Jan 28) | Rep. Ansari press release | Tucson Sentinel (Feb 10)

Contact Your Representatives

Make your voice heard at every level of government

🏛️ City of Surprise

Mayor Kevin Sartor
Demand a full public debrief on DC trip; push for formal opposition resolution
Contact Form →
City Council
Demand formal resolution, NEPA results, and coordination with AG Mayes
Council Info →

⚖️ Arizona Attorney General

Kris Mayes
Pursuing public nuisance lawsuit. Show her your support.
Contact AG Mayes →

🏛️ U.S. Congress

Rep. Paul Gosar (R), AZ-9
Demand DHS written response be made public; NEPA results released
Contact →
Senator Mark Kelly (D)
Contact →
Senator Ruben Gallego (D)
Newly elected, strong on immigration accountability
Contact →

🏛️ Arizona State Legislature

Senator Janae Shamp (R)
State Senate District 29
Rep. Steve Montenegro (R)
State House District 29
Rep. Austin Smith (R)
State House District 29
Find Your Legislator →

Letter Template

Send to Mayor Sartor and City Council before April 7

Subject: Put the DC Promises in Writing Before Partial Opening: April 7 Is Our Opportunity

Mayor Sartor and Surprise City Council,

Thank you for traveling to Washington and securing a meeting with federal ICE officials the week of March 15–19. Over 1,000 of us showed up on February 3rd, and hundreds more since, because we believe our voices matter. The community is counting on this council to hold the line.

We have now learned that DHS made four commitments in that meeting: a "bed tax" to offset local infrastructure and public safety costs, a council tour of the facility before anyone is housed, a pledge that ICE agents will not enter schools or senior centers, and the creation of a community relations board. Councilman Melton has publicly said he wants all of these in writing. I agree completely.

We have also learned that DHS told the city it could partially open the facility with 250 detainees by late May, months ahead of the September 30 full-opening target. That is an aggressive timeline, and it makes the April 7 council meeting critical.

Before any detainee is housed in this facility, I am calling on you to:

  1. Demand a formal intergovernmental agreement that puts every DC promise in enforceable writing, including the bed tax, facility tour, school and senior center protections, and the structure and powers of the community board
  2. Pass a formal resolution opposing this facility, as Hanover County, VA and Pima County did, which strengthened their legal and political standing
  3. Demand the withheld NEPA environmental survey results before construction of any portion of the facility proceeds
  4. Support Attorney General Mayes's legal challenge, which now has direct federal court precedent from the Maryland ruling that halted an identical facility on NEPA grounds
  5. Clarify the "Glendale Processing Facility" naming discrepancy in DHS's official statement, which could affect which jurisdiction's resources and legal frameworks apply

DHS has a history of making verbal commitments it does not keep. A court just found the federal government likely violated federal law in Maryland on an identical project. Verbal promises are not enough. Our community needs something it can enforce.

Put it in writing. Pass the resolution. Demand the NEPA results. We will be at April 7.

Sincerely,
[Your name, address, phone, email]

🔔 Get Notified of Updates

Be the first to know when this site is updated with breaking news

Stay in the Loop

Enter your email below to get an automatic notification whenever this page is updated. That is all this does: we do not collect, store, or share your information in any way. Your email goes directly to follow.it, a third-party notification service. The Surprise Community Coalition never sees it.

🔒 Privacy: Your email is handled solely by follow.it. We never see it, never store it, and never contact you ourselves. You can unsubscribe any time directly from the notification email.

Sources & Documentation

Every claim on this site is backed by credible news sources

🆕 March 23, 2026: Latest

DHS addresses costs, concerns about ICE detention center in meeting with Surprise officials NEW
KJZZ (NPR Arizona), March 23, 2026
Read Article →

March 10–18, 2026

Some Surprise residents continue to rally against proposed ICE facility NEW
AZFamily, March 13–14, 2026
Read Article →
Federal judge halts construction of ICE detention center in Maryland; cites NEPA violations NEW
Washington Post / Maryland Daily Record, March 11–12, 2026
Read Article →
Arizona Democrats raise concern about oversight of Surprise ICE facility; send letters to DHS and GardaWorld NEW
AZFamily / Rep. Stanton press release, March 11–12, 2026
Read Article →
Federal government selects controversial company to run Surprise ICE facility: GardaWorld awarded $313M contract NEW
AZFamily, March 10–11, 2026
Read Article →
"Arizona Alcatraz" sparks controversy: what we know about the ICE facility in Surprise NEW
Deseret News, March 15, 2026
Read Article →

March 5–9, 2026

Student leader raises concerns over planned ICE facility near Dysart schools
AZFamily, March 7–8, 2026
Read Article →
Trump fires DHS Secretary Kristi Noem; names Sen. Markwayne Mullin as replacement
NPR / CBS News / ABC News, March 5, 2026
Read Article →
ICE freezes Newport, Oregon detention center plans
OPB (Oregon Public Broadcasting), March 5, 2026
Read Article →
ICE taking steps to close Camp East Montana, its largest detention facility
Washington Post, March 4, 2026
Read Article →
ICE's detention expansion faces local resistance nationwide: Mississippi, Tennessee, NH cancelled
Governing.com / PBS NewsHour, March 2026
Read Article →
Attempted suicides, fights, pain: 911 calls reveal misery at ICE's largest detention facility
Associated Press / Boston Globe, March 6, 2026
Read Article →

🆕 February 24–28, 2026

Plans for proposed ICE facility in Merrimack, N.H., won't move forward, governor says
Boston Globe / NHPR, February 24, 2026
Read Article →
Surprise officials head to DC for answers on planned ICE facility
AZFamily, February 27–28, 2026
Read Article →

February 23–25, 2026: 8,000 Comments and DHS Admission

Over 8,000 weigh in against Surprise ICE detention facility
AZFamily, February 25, 2026
Read Article →
ICE facility in Surprise could open by summer's end, DHS tells Arizona lawmaker
AZFamily, February 24, 2026
Read Article →

February 21–23, 2026

Evidence of fire stunt found at ICE facility in Arizona
KYMA / CNN, February 23, 2026
Read Article →
ICE warehouse in Surprise targeted by arsonist days after massive community protests
Tucson Sentinel / Arizona Mirror, February 23, 2026
Read Article →
Criminal damage at federal building in Surprise; FBI and ATF respond
AZFamily, February 21, 2026
Read Article →
Broken window and fire evidence at ICE facility
12News (NBC), February 21, 2026
Read Article →
ICE's purchases for big detention centers are marked by secrecy, frustrating towns
Associated Press, February 21, 2026
Read Article →

February 18, 2026: Breaking News

Surprise ICE warehouse could house up to 10,000 detainees for months at a time, new documents show
KJZZ (NPR Arizona), February 18, 2026
Read Article →
Surprise leaders still seeking answers about DHS plan for ICE facility
AZFamily, February 18, 2026
Read Article →
DHS reveals Surprise warehouse turned ICE detention facility part of $38B plan
FOX 10 Phoenix, February 18, 2026
Read Article →

February 15–17, 2026: DHS Document Release

DHS docs detail new Surprise ICE facility with capacity for 1,500 detainees
AZFamily, February 17, 2026
Read Article →
Surprise city leaders left with questions about ICE facility despite new DHS docs
AZFamily, February 17, 2026
Read Article →
Document shows ICE plans to boost detention capacity by buying up warehouses like in Arizona
KJZZ (NPR Arizona), February 15, 2026
Read Article →

February 12–14, 2026

Trump's ICE Facility Surge Raises Transparency and Scrutiny Issues: "This is a crappy process"
Bloomberg Government, February 12, 2026
Read Article →
Mayes uses 'public nuisance' law to target proposed Surprise ICE facility
Arizona Capitol Times, February 13, 2026
Read Article →
New details about what DHS plans to do with proposed ICE facilities
AZFamily, February 13, 2026
Read Article →
Surprise officials demand details, clarity on proposed ICE facility
AZFamily, February 12, 2026
Read Article →

February 10–11, 2026: Attorney General and Legal Action

Attorney General Mayes Demands Answers from DHS on Proposed ICE Detention Facility
Arizona Attorney General, February 10, 2026
Read Release →
Mayes considers 'nuisance' lawsuit to stop Arizona ICE detention facility
KJZZ (NPR Arizona), February 10, 2026
Read Article →
Arizona AG, US senators demand answers on proposed ICE facility in Surprise
AZFamily, February 10, 2026
Read Article →
Surprise council plans trip to D.C. to get ICE answers
Surprise Independent, February 11, 2026
Read Article →
Senators Kelly & Gallego Letter to DHS (PDF)
U.S. Senate, February 10, 2026
Download Letter →
Ansari, Stanton, Grijalva, Kelly demand answers on measles outbreak at Arizona ICE facilities
Rep. Ansari / Rep. Stanton, February 2026
Read Release →

February 3rd Meeting Coverage

Hundreds packed Surprise council meeting about ICE facility
KJZZ (NPR Arizona), February 5, 2026
Read Article →
Uproar over Surprise ICE facility prompts Gosar to demand transparency
Cronkite News, February 4, 2026
Read Article →
ICE warehouse purchase fuels Valley immigration enforcement concerns
Axios Phoenix, February 4, 2026
Read Article →
Gosar Letter to DHS Secretary Noem (PDF)
Rep. Paul Gosar, February 4, 2026
Download Letter →

Original Coverage: January 2026

ICE is planning a 1,500-bed processing facility in a Surprise warehouse it just bought for $70M
KJZZ (NPR Arizona), January 30, 2026
Read Article →
Records: ICE buys Surprise warehouse facility for $70 million
AZFamily, January 29, 2026
Read Article →
ICE purchases warehouse in West Valley the size of 7 football fields
12News (NBC), January 29, 2026
Read Article →
Measles outbreak at ICE detention centers in Arizona prompts quarantine
CNN / Tucson.com, January 28, 2026
Read Article →

Minneapolis, Oklahoma City, Hanover County & Merrimack

Minneapolis police racked up millions in overtime in less than 2 weeks
CBS Minnesota, January 28, 2026
Read Article →
Oklahoma City ICE detention center proposal halted after community opposition
KOCO News 5 (ABC), January 30, 2026
Read Article →
Hanover County officials push back on proposed ICE facility
WVTF (NPR Virginia), January 28, 2026
Read Article →
NH Gov. Ayotte says plans for Merrimack ICE facility have been scrapped
Boston Herald / NHPR, February 24, 2026
Read Article →

Eloy Detention Center (Arizona)

New Report Compiles Decades of Abuse at Eloy Detention Center
Detention Watch Network, November 6, 2024
Read Report →
It's the deadliest year for people in ICE custody in decades
NPR, October 23, 2025
Read Article →

Resources & Organizations

Connect with groups fighting for community rights

ACLU of Arizona

Legal resources and community organizing support for fighting detention facilities.

acluaz.org →

Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project

Arizona-based experts who have fought Eloy facility conditions for years.

firrp.org →

Detention Watch Network

National coordination and #CommunitiesNotCages campaign resources.

detentionwatchnetwork.org →