When Surprise residents learned a 1,500-bed ICE detention facility was being dropped into the neighborhood with no community input, they weren’t asking the city to manage it. They were asking the city to stop it.
Mayor Sartor flew to Washington, met with DHS leadership, and returned talking about “timely communication and coordination so the city can prepare for what is to come.” That’s not representation. That’s accommodation.
Surprise residents have been loud and clear. They’ve shown up at city hall. They’ve signed petitions. They’ve organized. On March 28, thousands across the northwest Valley will protest again specifically because of this facility. The message has not been “help us get ready.” The message has been “no.”
A 418,000-square-foot detention center is being built 300 yards from homes and less than a mile from Dysart High School. The federal government offered no prior notice and no community process. And the mayor’s response is to ask for better communication so Surprise can adjust?
Residents deserve an elected official who treats their opposition as a mandate, not an inconvenience. The April 7 city council meeting is Sartor’s next opportunity to get this right. He should walk into that meeting with a position that reflects what his constituents have been telling him, not a readout from the people building the facility his constituents oppose.
The community is watching.