If you are interested in what Surprise officials know about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's planned facility within the city's boundaries, there's now an online hub for that information.
Surprise has launched a website to share details regarding the 418,400-square-foot warehouse that the federal agency wants to convert into a processing center for immigrant detainees.
The goal of the website is not to sway public opinion about the controversial facility, but to provide residents with "verified, factual information" in one place, according to Mayor Kevin Sartor. It was also a resource to combat some misinformation concerning the facility and the city's role, he said at an Aug. 4 council meeting.
It details what Surprise has done in response
to the planned facility, what authority the city has over the project, what officials currently know about the facility's status, what actions residents can expect from Surprise moving forward and contact information for other Arizona elected officials.
It also admits what the city does not know.
What was missing were details about Rinchem, a chemical and gas storage facility across the street from ICE's building that residents, activists, and Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes have raised questions about because of its proximity to ICE's building. Surprise is also putting together its own report on Rinchem.
Sartor, in a statement released Aug. 5, said the webpage was a one-stop center for easy reference and city leadership would follow updates, advocate on behalf of residents and do all they could to protect the community's safety and well-being.
A spokesperson for the city did not immediately respond to a request for comment about what misinformation concerned Sartor and why information about Rinchem was not included on the webpage.
The planned ICE center has been a topic of contention for Surprise since the Department of Homeland Security quietly purchased the large building off Dysart Road and Sweetwater Avenue for more than $70 million in January. The building is near the border of El Mirage.
The federal government's plans and lack of communication led to public outcry, which has also been directed toward Surprise leadership. Residents and activists have repeatedly called on the City Council to fight the facility.
Mayes, a Democrat, jumped in and filed a lawsuit against DHS and ICE to prevent the center from becoming a reality. It's stalled the project ― for now. In June, DHS agreed to hold off on physically converting the warehouse until the completion of an environmental review.
The environmental assessment is underway, but for 1,500 beds, according to Sartor. The actual number of beds could be between 500 and 1,500, DHS told city officials, marking another instance the number of beds has appeared to fluctuate.
Despite the delay, Surprise leadership was committed to obtaining information about the project from the agencies involved and sharing that with the public, Sartor said.
"While there is not a lot of new information to share, it's important to me that the community has all the details and facts," he said.
The public can visit the website at: surpriseaz.gov/dhs-proposed-facility.
What Surprise has done, what it can't do and what it doesn't know
Surprise leaders have worked behind the scenes to learn more about the planned ICE center and share various concerns with those in charge of the project.
Leadership has toured the Florence processing center and met with a representative of GardaWorld Federal, the private security firm contracted to renovate and operate the facility, about the city's development processes.
Surprise also requested DHS consider putting together soon the community relations board it had agreed to create, and that the federal department give advance notice of the environmental review and public comment process.
City leaders also met with U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego, his staff and staff from Sen. Mark Kelly's office on June 30 to discuss the planned center. Gallego said he would do what he could to help, according to councilmember Chris Judd at the Aug. 4 council meeting.
But there are still many details city leaders do not know about how the facility, if it opens, would operate.
It's still unclear what the site's design is, the final number of people the building will accommodate, how they will be transported, how many employees will work there and the anticipated effects on the city's infrastructure and public services.
The website also outlined what authority Surprise has in this situation, including DHS and ICE's decisions and practices, decisions of federal contractors, the project's schedule, communications or negotiations between Mayes' office and DHS and the release of information DHS believes is restricted.
Elena Santa Cruz covers the West Valley cities of Glendale, Surprise and Peoria. Reach her at elena.santacruz@arizonarepublic.com or follow her on X @ecsantacruz3.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: New Surprise tool tracks ICE facility updates. How to use it
