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Committee backs bill to lease Marana prison to federal immigration authorities for $1 a year
Summary
Senators and representatives on the House Public Safety and Law Enforcement Committee recommended SB 12-94, a proposal to lease the idle Marana prison to the U.S. government or a federal contractor for $1 a year to detain immigration detainees.
Senators and representatives on the House Public Safety and Law Enforcement Committee recommended SB 12-94, a bill to authorize the Arizona Department of Administration to lease the Marana prison to the U.S. government or a private contractor under federal contract for $1 per year to house people detained for immigration violations.
The sponsor, Senator Kavanaugh, said the facility is idle and that leasing it would relieve the state of upkeep costs and keep detainees in Arizona so their families and lawyers could reach them. "The Marana Prison is empty. It's just sitting there doing nothing," Kavanaugh said, adding that the federal lessee would be required to return the facility "in the same condition or better than they got it."
The ACLU of Arizona opposed the bill in public comment. Noah Schramm, testifying for the ACLU, urged members to vote no, saying the bill would lease a detention center to the federal government "without any mechanism for Arizona to ensure that detainee rights are respected." Schramm also said the organization opposes a large-scale deportation policy and raised due-process and humanitarian concerns.
Committee members questioned the sponsor about local consultation, hiring priorities for jobs created by the lease, and whether private contractors could operate the site. Kavanaugh said the lease would permit only private contractors operating under contract with ICE and that he had not yet had a chance to discuss the bill with all local representatives; he said he would speak with Representative Cashel, who represents the district.
Several members raised fiscal and policy objections. Representative Powell called a $1 annual lease "severely undervaluing" a taxpayer-funded asset, and others asked for more local consultation before the bill advanced. Supporters argued the state would save maintenance costs and that reactivation could provide local jobs and upgrades paid by the federal lessee.
The committee moved the bill forward. The committee recorded a vote of 8 ayes, 5 nays and 1 absent and gave SB 12-94 a due-pass recommendation.
