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Residents press Surprise council to oppose DHS detention facility, seek transparency and safety planning
Summary
Multiple residents urged Surprise leaders to oppose a proposed DHS/ICE detention facility and to provide public-safety education and transparency about a May 6 supplemental agreement; callers warned of strains on police, schools and medical services and asked the council to add the DHS site to a future agenda.
Dozens of Surprise residents used the council's public-comment period on May 19 to press elected leaders for more transparency and active opposition to a planned DHS detention facility in the city.
Taylor Bone, a resident who identified himself from Coyote Lakes, cited job postings tied to the facility and urged the council to act, saying the postings included positions such as —camera/CCTV operator— and —armed detention transport driver— and warning of potential armed vehicle movements through neighborhoods. —We cannot keep hoping for the best and ignoring the danger,— Taylor Bone said, urging the council to do more than send a brief letter.
Britney Bishop, a long-time Surprise resident, and other commenters accused the council of inadequate communication after what they described as a May 6 supplemental agreement between DHS and contractors that resumed work despite pending litigation. Bishop said the contents of that agreement have not been disclosed and asked whether the mayor and council had seen or requested a copy.
Anne Bendheim urged the council to take a binding vote and to —say no— to what she called an —ICE prison,— framing the facility as a threat to due process and human dignity. Several speakers asked the council to publicly oppose the facility, to support a three-mile buffer proposal circulated by activists, and to host public-safety briefings for schools and hospitals.
City officials acknowledged the concerns and asked staff and the police chief to follow up. Mayor Sartre asked the police chief to connect with one commenter to clarify specific public-safety incidents and next steps.
The callers requested that the DHS facility be added to a future council agenda so the public can receive updates and the council can consider formal action. No vote on the issue was taken at the May 19 meeting.
