FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 22, 2026
Council flees peaceful protest as council member puts ICE facility’s zoning violations on record
SURPRISE, AZ — The Surprise City Council abruptly adjourned and walked out of Tuesday night’s meeting after residents staged a peaceful protest inside the chambers, marking a dramatic escalation in the fight against the ICE detention warehouse at 13290 W. Sweetwater Ave.
Surprise residents had presented the council with four specific demands ahead of the meeting. Three of the four went unmet: the city again intentionally cut the video feed during the call to the public; public comment was further restricted rather than restored; and Councilmember Chris Judd did not address constituents directly regarding his retraction of an action item at the April 7 meeting.
The city selectively cut the video feed — while maintaining audio — to remote viewers during the call to the public for the second consecutive meeting. The cut was not a technical error: Mayor Kevin Sartor confirmed to a community member present at the April 7 meeting that the decision to cut the video was intentional. The feed has historically been available throughout entire city council meetings, and was available for the remainder of both of the last two meetings; it was cut only during the portion most directly involving public participation. NWVI believes this selective practice may violate Arizona’s Open Meeting Law, which under A.R.S. § 38-431.01 requires that all meetings of public bodies be open to the public, and which must be construed in favor of maximum public access. NWVI is preparing to file a formal complaint with the Arizona Attorney General’s office regarding whether intentionally restricting the video record of public comment constitutes an unlawful restriction of public access.
The call to the public was further restricted — reduced to 30 minutes per topic, divided evenly between supporters and opponents. Only two or three speakers rose in support of the facility; the vast majority of the allotted time was used by residents opposing it. At one point, a speaker invited everyone present who opposed the facility to stand. Nearly every person in the room rose to their feet.
Councilmember Judd did not address constituents directly regarding his retraction of an action item at the April 7 meeting — a retraction made immediately and without explanation following a closed executive session. Judd has since offered an account to the Arizona Republic, behind a paywall, but has never explained his decision directly to the residents he represents. However, Judd did make a motion — which passed — to place an item on the next council agenda directing a formal letter to the Department of Homeland Security requesting that the ICE facility comply with local ordinances governing the area surrounding Luke Air Force Base. Speaking from the dais, Judd stated:
“So I’m going to make a formal recommendation to the head of DHS that they follow the state law and our local ordinances to not expand residential use in the LD65 Zone and around Luke Air Force Base.”
In response to the council’s failure to meet three of the four demands, Northwest Valley Indivisible (NWVI) Co-Chair Brent Peak, following the vote, calmly invited those in the chambers opposed to the facility to join him at the front for a brief, peaceful protest action. Nearly the entire room rose and moved forward. Law enforcement was present and stood across the front of the dais. There was no interaction between officers and protesters. During the protest, Peak publicly expressed gratitude to Councilmember Judd for the motion he had made. The council, with Mayor Kevin Sartor leading, gathered their belongings and left the chambers while residents stood peacefully assembled before them. The protest lasted less than ten minutes before the crowd dispersed on its own.
“The council had an opportunity to stand with the overwhelming sentiment of this community,” said Peak. “Instead, they adjourned and walked out while Surprise residents and regional community members stood peacefully, demanding accountability for an ICE detention warehouse that was forced on this community without its consent. What we’re seeing is a pattern — every meeting, Mayor Sartor finds new ways to hear less from the public, not more. He cuts the time. He selectively cuts the video. He leads the council out the door. A council that cannot bear to hear from the people it represents has already failed them.”
The community’s opposition continues to build. NWVI and coalition partners invite all residents to attend the Communities Not Cages: National Day of Action to Stop ICE Warehouse Detention rally on Saturday, April 25 at 5:30 PM at the ICE facility, 13290 W. Sweetwater Ave., Surprise, AZ.
RSVP and information: https://www.mobilize.us/disappearedinamerica/event/941687/
About Northwest Valley Indivisible Northwest Valley Indivisible (NWVI) is a grassroots civic organization serving the Northwest Valley, committed to justice, equality, and democratic accountability.
[Photo credit: Jeremy M. Helfgot]
###