The federal government aims to nearly triple the capacity of a former prison in Marana slated to become an immigration detention center, moving the building to 1,300-bed capacity from 513 through the use of temporary beds.
The facility could also begin housing people even as construction moves ahead, according to a Department of Homeland Security notice alerting the public to possible construction in a floodplain.
“There is also potential for 600 additional temporary beds, bringing the total expandable capacity to over 1,300. Renovations would occur in phases, allowing portions of the facility to become incrementally operational as improvements are completed,” the notice says.
Comment by end of day June 18: icesustainability@ice.dhs.gov
That information was shared as part of a “Final Notice and Public Review of a Proposed Activity in a 100-Year Floodplain,” a public statement made in response to an executive order instructing federal agencies to mitigate the impact of federal development in a floodplain.
The proposed immigration detention center in Marana has been at the center of a regional organizing effort in opposition to the project since last fall, when a community meeting brought out hundreds of people to discuss the federal government’s plans.
The building, formerly a state prison, is to be run by private prison operator Management and Training Corporation, or MTC. Previously, immigration officials said they planned to increase the capacity from 500 to 775 people.
Pima Resists I.C.E., a group created specifically to resist the detention center, said it was disappointed to learn about the increased capacity plan stated in the floodplain notice, and pointed the finger at Marana officials, who it said promised to keep residents updated on any movements.
“The community has not been able to have a meaningful conversation with their elected officials, nor ICE, nor MTC about how they will do this safely and in an environmentally sound manner,” Daniela Ugaz, an attorney working with the group, said in a statement. “Town officials have robbed the community of precious time in which MTC and ICE could have been held to account.”
Immigration authorities said they had no detention service contracts to announce at this time for the Marana facility. “It should not come as news that ICE will be making arrests in states across the U.S. and is actively working to expand detention space,” said the statement, attributed to “ICE spox.”
On Feb. 25, the federal government shared a procurement memo for an operator to run the detention center in Marana for two years. The federal procurement order named MTC as the operator most likely to run the immigration detention facility: “Management & Training Corporation is the sole owner and operator of the Marana detention facility that meets ICE requirements in the timeframe.”
Emily Lawhead, director of communications for MTC, said there was no contract with ICE in place at this time. If the contract was awarded, the company would focus on restoring local jobs and human treatment of detained people. “ICE and DHS are the appropriate sources for questions regarding procurement requirements, contract scope, and any potential future use of the facility,” she said.
In an email response to PRICE, Marana town manager Terry Rozema said he reached out to an MTC representative who said they would consider growing to house 700+ people, but not 1,300. “That number was not part of their proposal and is not a part of any plans for the facility,” Rozema said.
Marana town council member Patrick Cavanaugh said he was troubled to learn about the proposed capacity increase for the building, Cavanaugh told Luminaria. “I am very disturbed and I know most citizens in Marana are very disturbed about this ICE detention center,” he said.
Immigration officials, MTC and other Marana Town Council members did not respond to a request for comment.
Last summer, Congress approved $45 billion for immigration detention, part of an increase in spending for immigration enforcement that experts say has significantly grown America’s immigration enforcement apparatus. Under the second Trump administration, the death rate in immigration detention centers has more than doubled.
The Marana detention center is one of a number of planned new or renovated facilities where local advocates have waged months-long campaigns against the opening of a detention center in their communities. That includes Surprise, where activists have most recently launched an effort for the county to take over the city’s governance, arguing city leaders didn’t do enough to protect or inform residents around the detention center proposal.
Leaders in Surprise, much like in Marana, said they had few tools to stop the federal government’s plans.
The notice also comes amid concerns about overcrowding in other Arizona ICE facilities in recent weeks.
People held in immigration detention at a temporary staging facility in Florence reported overcrowding including 200 to 300 men held in rooms designed for about 100 people, according to a June report from The Florence Project, a Tucson-based legal advocacy group.
Despite plans to increase the number of people detained, the notice says the Marana facility will not construct new buildings or add any large paved areas. “There are no planned large-scale expansions intended to increase the facility’s overall footprint,” the notice said.
Among the changes proposed are:
- Expanding medical and intake areas, including additional exam rooms, observation cells, a triage room and a dental area
- Adding a second perimeter fence 12 feet high
- Improving infrastructure, including modifying the wastewater treatment plant to make sure there is potable water for the larger population
Republish our articles for free, online or in print.
