Attorney General Mayes Demands Answers from DHS on Proposed ICE Detention Facility in Surprise

PHOENIX — Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes this week sent a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem demanding answers about the proposed conversion of a 418,000-square-foot warehouse in Surprise, Arizona, into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing and detention facility for 1,500 detainees.

The facility, located near the intersection of Sweetwater Avenue and Dysart Road, sits just 300 yards from residential homes and roughly a mile from a high school with a student population that is over 60 percent Hispanic.

"Prior to the starting any construction or operational activities, DHS must answer basic questions about the use of the facility and its impacts upon the local community," Attorney General Mayes wrote. Mayes also noted that local officials were not informed of the purchase in advance and that over eighty residents voiced concerns at a Surprise City Council meeting on February 3, 2026.

Attorney General Mayes joined a bipartisan chorus of federal lawmakers — including U.S. Representatives Paul Gosar (R-AZ-9), Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ-3), Greg Stanton (D-AZ-4), and Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ-7) — in seeking information from DHS. The letter poses ten detailed questions covering impacts to local schools, traffic, noise, water supply, waste disposal, medical care for detainees, and strain on municipal fire, law enforcement, and emergency services.

A copy of the letter is available here.