SURPRISE, AZ — One day after the Arizona Attorney General’s Office sued to block a proposed ICE facility in the West Valley, community leaders and residents gathered to protest the facility.
The demonstration unfolded Saturday evening near an industrial warehouse in Surprise that the federal government is planning to turn into an ICE processing facility for undocumented immigrants.
More than 250 people turned out, some held handmade signs with messages that read, “Ban warehouse detention camps” and “This is not okay.” A tuba player joined the protesters as cars drove by and honked in support.
Surprise resident Deb Gentry attended the protest along with her husband, David.
"I've watched the news, certainly, and seen what ICE has done in Portland, in Chicago, in Minneapolis. And I don't want that here,” Deb Gentry said.
The warehouse sits less than a mile from Dysart High School.
“This facility is two miles from my house,” said Surprise resident Roz Melling.
She gestured down the street as she continued.
“That community right down the street is 60% Hispanic. I can’t in good conscience allow this to happen without my voice being heard.”
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The protest came a day after a lawsuit was filed by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes. She argued that ICE bypassed environmental reviews and that the project was greenlighted without any meaningful input from the community.
“The federal government did not ask the people of surprise whether they wanted this,” Mayes said in a news conference on Friday.
ICE pushed back against the lawsuit on Friday in a statement to ABC15. The agency argues that Mayes’ legal action is not about the environment but about blocking immigration enforcement. ICE said in the statement that it evaluated existing sites to minimize environmental impacts.
Not everyone opposes the facility. Some residents are in favor and want stronger immigration enforcement.
In March, Surprise Mayor Kevin Sartor spoke out about a meeting between city officials, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and ICE. Here’s what ABC15 knows about the planned facility so far:
- The industrial warehouse purchased for $70 million will be transformed into a processing facility that will house undocumented immigrants for three to seven days.
- The immigrants will not released within the Surprise community but will be taken to facilities in either El Paso or Salt Lake City or back to their home countries.
- Operations will start with 250 people per week, with a cap of occupied beds at 542, according to the Surprise mayor.
- The facility will house single adults. It will have a secure perimeter, controlled access and 24/7 surveillance.
- The facility is expected to open sometime this fall.
As for the residents who attended Saturday evening’s protest, they say they intend to keep showing up and fighting to block the facility.
“They’re rounding up our neighbors. People who we watched work hard, establish themselves in our community,” said Surprise resident David Gentry. “That’s not right."
Email ABC15’s Anne Ryman at anne.ryman@abc15.com, call her at 602-685-6345, or connect on X, formerly known as Twitter.
