FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Statement: Northwest Valley Indivisible on Federal Agreement to Pause Surprise ICE Facility
Organization Calls Filing a Partial but Substantial Victory, Says Fight Is Not Over
SURPRISE, AZ, July 1, 2026 — The federal government just told a judge it will not detain anyone or begin converting the Surprise warehouse into an ICE facility until it completes the environmental review it tried to skip. Northwest Valley Indivisible is responding to the filing, first reported yesterday by Project Salt Box.
The agreement comes in response to the lawsuit Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes filed against the Department of Homeland Security in April, which argued DHS purchased the Sweetwater Avenue warehouse and moved toward converting it into a detention facility without conducting the environmental review required under the National Environmental Policy Act. The lawsuit specifically cited Northwest Valley Indivisible’s concern about the facility’s proximity to a chemical storage site holding thousands of gallons of hazardous materials, whose federal Risk Management Plan doesn’t account for the hazard of housing hundreds of people across the street.
Under yesterday’s agreement, DHS cannot detain anyone at the site or begin construction to convert it into a detention center until it produces a final environmental assessment, or a full environmental impact statement if one is required, and provides that document to the state. DHS must also file a public report on its progress every sixty days.
“DHS didn’t do this because they wanted to,” said Brent Peak, Co-Chair of Northwest Valley Indivisible. “They did it because a Surprise resident dug up the hazard data they didn’t bother to look for, because Attorney General Kris Mayes took action and sued them, and because thousands of people in this community showed up and made this too loud to ignore. That’s the whole story. This is a real win. It is not the end of the fight though, and we’re not walking away until this prison camp is shut down for good.”
The agreement follows a June 29 meeting in Surprise between Mayor Kevin Sartor, the Surprise City Council, U.S. Senator Ruben Gallego and staff, and staff for U.S. Senator Mark Kelly. Sartor confirmed the meeting in a social media post, saying the discussion covered “public safety, infrastructure, and the pending proposal for a short-term processing center.” The meeting took place one day before the filing.
Northwest Valley Indivisible has organized public opposition to the Surprise facility since it was first identified in January, including public comment campaigns, a rally at the site in April, regular protests at City Council meetings, and research that has been cited directly in the state’s federal lawsuit. The organization will track the environmental review process and urges residents of Surprise and surrounding communities to call Mayor Kevin Sartor at 623-222-1313 and demand that he and the city council take a public stand opposing the facility.
Northwest Valley Indivisible is a progressive grassroots civic organization serving Arizona’s 8th Congressional District. NWVI has grown into a district-wide movement that has drawn thousands of residents to protests, public comment campaigns, and accountability actions across the northwest valley. The organization’s research has been cited directly in Arizona’s federal lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security over the Surprise ICE facility.