DHS says environmental review of Surprise ICE facility is progressing

Arizona Capitol Times · Joey Chenoweth · September 7, 2026

PHOENIX — Federal officials have apparently chosen a company with no experience conducting environmental reviews to perform one for a proposed Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Surprise.

In a Friday court filing, the Department of Homeland Security said it has retained a contractor to assist in the review, part of a deal with the state Attorney General’s Office to forestall a lawsuit. That deal prevents ICE from detaining people in the warehouse until DHS can prove it can house up to 1,500 people.

That filing does not list who will be conducting the review. But the city of Surprise, in a web post , said its staffers met with a GardaWorld representative who is seeking information for the assessment.

GardaWord has already signed a $313.4 million contract with DHS to renovate andoperate the facility. The agreement even provides for a possible extension through early 2029, making it worth more than $700 million.

GardaWorld, mostly known for things like providing security guards and operating a fleet of armored cars, referred all questions to Homeland Security.

That agency provided only a prepared statement about its focus on removing “the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens from the United States and is always evaluation the best methods to do so.”

As to the status of the Surprise facility, the statement effectively acknowledges that a federal court agreement with Attorney General Kris Mayes prevents anyone from being housed there until the agreed-to assessment is complete.

“DHS is moving swiftly to utilize EXISTING detention space with our state and county partners,” the statement reads. There was no answer to the question of GardaWorld’s experience — or even confirmation that company is doing the assessment.

Mayes filed suit in April after ICE purchased the facility. That federal ownership stripped city officials of any power to use their own zoning and other laws to restrict its operation.

But the attorney general is instead using the National Environmental Policy Act to require an assessment — if not a full-blown environmental impact statement. And Mayes has made it clear she believes that such an assessment will conclude that the site is inappropriate for such a facility.

That environmental impact is not just about the impact of the facility, like how its operation would affect the city’s sewage. The warehouse itself also sits across the street from a hazardous materials storage warehouse where chemical leaks or explosions are possible.

It is true, Mayes conceded in April, that there already are nearby homes where residents also would be affected by such an occurrence.

“But the major distinction is the sheer number of people who will be housed in this facility and can’t get out,” the attorney general said. “If this thing blows up, they will be locked in that facility with no way of getting out.”

That, she said, will create additional pressures on local fire departments and emergency responders.

And Mayes said the warehouse, if allowed to be used to house ICE detainees, will use so much water that it could leave firefighters without what they need to battle an explosion or blaze at the chemical facility.

The lawsuit initially drew derision from a representative from ICE.

“Let’s be hones about what is happening,” the statement read.

“This isn’t about the environment,” it said. “It’s about trying to stop President Trump from making America safe.”

And the representative dismissed the need for formal environmental studies.

“Prior to purchasing this site, ICE carefully evaluated the use of existing facilities to help minimize environmental impacts,” the statement said.

But facing a possible federal court order delaying — or even halting — the project, Homeland Security said it would provide the assessment. It also agreed not to open the facility until the assessment was completed. And the agency promised to provide regular updates to the court.

That latest update, filed Friday, is where Homeland Security said it had retained a contractor “and has begun working with the contractor.”

“The environmental review remains ongoing,” Julian Kurtz, an attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice, told Judge Susan Brnovich. The post DHS says environmental review of Surprise ICE facility is progressing first appeared on Arizona Capitol Times .

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