Happy that Surprise ICE facility is delayed

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OPINION — I was happy to learn recently that our Attorney General Kris Mayes was able to at least stall Department of Homeland Security’s plan to convert the industrial warehouse in Surprise into an ICE detention facility.

She managed to get a court-stipulated agreement between DHS and ICE. At this point they are legally prohibited from performing any construction, retrofitting or detention of individuals at the site until a formal environmental assessment is finalized.

State officials estimate the mandatory environmental study will create at least a nine-month delay to the project.

The facility site is directly across the street from a Rinchem chemical storage warehouse that local leaders and the state AG argue pose severe safety hazards. The project faced protests, community opposition and scrutiny over its proximity to area schools, like Dysart High School. It is less than a half-mile from residential neighborhoods and would also cause a serious strain on local municipal and emergency services.

ICE purchased 11 such warehouses across the country for just over $1 billion of taxpayers’ money! But since the purchase, the administration has had to scale back on its initial plan for the warehouses, and is now seeking to offload seven of those warehouses.

Unfortunately, the Surprise warehouse is not one of the seven about to be sold or given away.

I believe the agreement between DHS and Arizona is a major win for the people of Surprise.

“My office will keep fighting to ensure the law is followed,” Mayes said. That’s a comfort to me. It may not solve the problem forever, but I’m glad Attorney General Mayes is on the side of the people since our current administration seems to be against us.

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