Residents press Surprise council to oppose planned DHS/ICE processing site; call for ordinances, oversight and slow‑down
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Summary
Dozens of residents used the March 3 call to the public to urge the Surprise City Council to oppose a Department of Homeland Security/ICE warehouse purchase proposed for use as a processing/detention facility, pressing the city for ordinances, oversight, and immediate steps to limit federal operations.
A steady stream of residents on March 3 pressed the Surprise City Council to publicly oppose a recently announced Department of Homeland Security purchase of a Surprise warehouse for use as an ICE processing/detention site and urged the council to use every local legal and administrative tool to slow or block the facility.
Speakers representing neighborhood groups, veterans, parents, students and advocacy organizations described concerns spanning humanitarian, public‑safety and infrastructure impacts and called for specific local actions: public opposition statements, restrictions on use of city resources, requirements that federal agents display visible identification, buffer zones from schools, and legal remedies such as public nuisance claims. "This will not be a quiet building," Amanda Kaminskas said. "It will bring national attention, protest, armed federal presence, and ongoing tension to our neighborhoods." (Public commenter Amanda Kaminskas.)
Several speakers cited alleged past medical neglect and deaths in other ICE facilities and questioned whether Surprise’s hospitals, police and fire services could absorb the extra calls for service or handle medical emergencies. "We are not deporting people. We are warehousing them," Lisa Everett told the council, and urged public and federal policy changes. Others framed the issue as a moral obligation: many commenters urged council members to take a clear public stance and outlined potential local ordinances to restrict cooperation or require federal agents to be identifiable while operating in the city.
At the meeting’s close, Mayor Sarter acknowledged the community’s concerns and said the council was pursuing answers from federal officials and would use the city’s planned Washington, D.C. trip to press for information. "We are doing something almost every single day, trying to figure out, get answers from ICE," he told the room. Several residents urged the council to take immediate steps locally — such as refusing municipal cooperation or imposing ordinance limits — while others recommended litigation or working with the county and state to challenge the facility. No formal council action was taken March 3; council members said staff and elected officials are coordinating outreach to federal and state representatives and will continue to seek details and potential remedies.
