Arizona Senators Push Back on ICE Detention Expansion With New Bill

Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) have introduced legislation to give local governments a say before federal immigration authorities can set up new detention facilities in their communities.

The democratic senators unveiled the Respect for Local Communities Act, a bill that would prevent the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from constructing or operating any new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center or processing site without first jumping through a series of procedural hurdles.

Under the proposal, federal agencies would need to publish a public notice open for comment for at least 30 days, secure written approval from both the relevant state governor and local elected officials, and formally notify key congressional committees.

Now making it a priority before breaking ground or signing any contracts.

The bill's introduction follows a recent controversy in Surprise, where DHS acquired a contract to convert a warehouse into a detention facility capable of holding 1,500 people without notifying city or county officials in advance.

Senator's Stance

The move drew swift criticism from both senators, who later wrote to the Trump administration demanding details about the project's costs, environmental compliance, and impact on local emergency services.

Sen. Kelly framed the legislation as a matter of basic transparency. “We can enforce our laws and secure the border without leaving communities in the dark,” he said, arguing that border enforcement and community consultation are not mutually exclusive.

Sen. Gallego then reiterated his stance and said, “I fully support securing the border, but that’s not what this is. Instead, once again, DHS has chosen Stephen Miller’s depraved and dangerous agenda over working with local leaders to protect Arizonans.”

He argued the bill is not about opposing immigration enforcement, but about stopping federal agencies from offloading the burden of large detention operations onto cities and counties that had no input in the decision.

The Surprise facility is one piece of a much larger expansion effort. ICE has outlined plans to dramatically grow its detention capacity at a cost of tens of billions of dollars, even as deaths in custody have reached record numbers and concerns about oversight continue to mount.