By admin 
SURPRISE, AZ (AZFamily) — The federal government has hit the pause button on the proposed ICE facility in Surprise in a deal with Arizona.
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In an agreement filed in federal court Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal leaders will not move forward with the facility while the feds complete an environmental review.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes filed a lawsuit in April claiming the federal government skipped the required environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act.
The feds agreed they will not do any construction or retrofitting on the warehouse on Sweetwater Avenue, south of Waddell Road and west of Dysart Road while the environmental review is being done.
Federal officials must update the court every two months on the review’s progress. Once it’s completed, both sides must meet within 10 days and submit court paperwork for the next steps in the case.
Mayes said in an emailed statement that the pause is what’s best for Arizona.
“This agreement is a significant win for the people of Surprise and for the rule of law,” Mayes said. “Federal agencies must complete the environmental review process required by federal law before moving forward with these types of projects. My office will keep fighting to ensure the law is followed.”
Arizona’s Family first learned ICE was going to buy the 418,000-square-foot facility in January for about $70 million.
A report from the real estate analytics company CoStar found ICE paid $34 per square foot more for the building than in other recent comparable trades. That’s a difference of about $14 million to $15 million.
Hundreds of people have protested in different demonstrations against City of Surprise leaders, but the mayor has insisted it’s out of the city’s hands.
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Democrats have demanded answers from the federal government about the location and how much of a strain it’ll put on local resources.
School officials have raised concerns about how the facility is about a mile northwest of Dysart High School, with school traffic being mixed with caravans of detainees.
Original federal documents said the ICE facility would hold up to 1,500 detainees for three to seven days and could open by the end of September.
During a trip to Washington, D.C. in February, city leaders said federal officials told them there will be no releases of detainees into the Surprise community, and the facility will not trigger local immigration enforcement activity.
In May, a 19-year-old was arrested for allegedly vandalizing and setting fire to the warehouse in February.
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