This Saturday at 9:00 AM, thousands of Surprise residents will gather on Bell Road to say no to federal overreach and to make one thing clear to Surprise Mayor Kevin Sartor and the City Council: the GardaWorld immigration detention facility at 13290 W. Sweetwater Avenue does not represent who we are as a community.
Surprise built its identity as a family destination — a place people choose because of its schools, its safety, and its values. The federal government plans to quietly convert a 400,000-square-foot warehouse in Surprise into a $313 million immigration detention operation without public notice or community input. What residents need to know now is where their city council stands.
We are not asking you to solve federal immigration policy. We are asking you to stand with the community.
Before the April 7th City Council meeting, we are asking each member of the council to be prepared to answer the following questions on the record:
- Does the city believe the PAD zoning at this location permits this use, and if so, on what basis?
- How does this facility align with Surprise’s stated community values and economic development goals?
- Has the city assessed the impact on property values, public safety, and the city’s brand as a family community?
- Will the council direct the city attorney to review all legal options available to the city, including zoning enforcement and contract challenges?
- Will the council support — or refrain from opposing — any legal action filed by Attorney General Kris Mayes to block or regulate the facility?
- Will the council request that Arizona’s congressional delegation seek a federal review of the facility’s compliance with detention standards?
- What oversight mechanisms, if any, does the city have over conditions inside the facility?
- Will the council commit to holding regular public updates on the facility’s status and any incidents that occur there?
- What is the city’s plan if detainees include Surprise residents, local students, or parents of children in Dysart schools?
- Has the city requested a copy of the GardaWorld contract with ICE, and will it make that available to the public?
- Will the council request a meeting with GardaWorld leadership and make that meeting open to the public?
- Will the council place a formal agenda item on a future meeting to debate a resolution opposing the facility?
These are not hostile questions. They are the basic questions any city council should be asking itself when a $313 million federal detention operation starts up inside city limits without warning.
Silence is an answer too. And residents are paying attention.
We will be present at the April 7 meeting. We will be listening. And we will report and respond to what we hear—and what we don’t.
[Photo credit: City of Surprise]