ICE confirms it will add 1,500-bed detention facility in Surprise

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said it would add a processing facility with approximately 1,500 beds in Surprise as part of the agency’s efforts to expand detention space.

The agency, through an unidentified spokesperson, acknowledged the move in a Jan. 30 email.

That came one day after The Republic first reported that the Department of Homeland Security had acquired a 418,400 square-foot warehouse. The sale, for more than $70 million in cash, was completed Jan. 23, according to Maricopa County property records.

The warehouse, off Sweetwater Avenue and Dysart Road, is about four miles from Surprise City Hall. It is near neighborhoods, grocery stores, restaurants, entertainment venues and schools.

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“ICE is targeting the worst of the worst, including murderers, rapists, pedophiles, gang members and more. 70% of ICE arrests are of illegal aliens charged or convicted of a crime in the U.S.,” the unidentified ICE spokesperson said.

On Jan. 26, the agency said it had no new detention centers to announce at the time, though the agency was actively working to expand detention space.

Erica Connell, an organizer for the Arizona chapter of 50501, a nationwide network of activists opposed to the Trump administration, had told The Arizona Republic a “verified source” had shared that a processing facility located at 13290 W Sweetwater Ave. was planned to hold 1,500 beds.

A large “For Sale or Lease” sign sat on the exterior of the warehouse on Jan. 20. A note with the words “(Expletive) ICE” was stuck on the front door. The large, dark interior was mostly empty, except for a small area with poster boards on easels that didn’t face the windows.

Three days later, only two things were different: a new “(Expletive) ICE” note replaced the old one, and the sign on the building was gone.

Surprise spokesperson Virginia Mungovan previously told The Republic that an ICE facility was not on the city’s radar.

“Every day, DHS is conducting law enforcement activities across the country to keep Americans safe,” said the unidentified spokesperson in the Jan. 30 email.

A June 2025 analysis by The Republic found that under Trump’s second term, ICE targeted over 125 people in metro Phoenix. None met the government’s definition of a serious criminal, and none were convicted of murder, rape or aggravated assault, according to documents filed by the federal government in the U.S. District Court in Phoenix.

The majority of those targeted were accused of being in the country illegally.

Reporting by Elena Santa Cruz, Arizona Republic