Overview
- Following Tuesday’s packed council meeting, Surprise will place the ICE warehouse on its next agenda as an action item after hours of protests and public comment.
- DHS under Secretary Markwayne Mullin has paused new warehouse purchases and is reviewing prior deals, while telling Surprise the local site would cap at 542 beds for three to seven days of short-term processing.
- City officials say those limits and reimbursement pledges are verbal only, and they want a binding agreement that bars enforcement activity at schools and other sensitive places.
- Residents and council members raised emergency risks from the Rinchem chemical depot across the street, which stores chlorine and hydrofluoric acid, noting detainees could not self‑evacuate if a leak forced a rapid evacuation.
- Council members also flagged high water demand and a possible conflict with Luke Air Force Base departure‑zone rules, as contractors advance a $313 million renovation and other cities pursue legal and environmental challenges, including a court‑ordered pause in Maryland and fresh action in San Antonio.