Adelita Grijalva Condemns Planned Expansion of Florence Detention Facility

Representative Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) condemned the planned expansion of the ICE detention facility in Florence, Arizona, in a recent statement.

The Context

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently awarded a $1.2 billion contract to the security firm GardaWorld to expand the ICE facility, which was one of several contracts with other firms to expand detention facilities in New York, California, Texas, and Florida.

Notably, an El Centro, California, facility currently run by the GEO Group for the U.S. Marshals is returning to its original purpose as an ICE detention center, which it stopped being in 2014.

Allegedly, in addition to expanding existing centers, ICE plans to build new ones on land it already controls after the failure of efforts to buy and convert warehouses, such as the one in Surprise, after states took legal action against them.

In July, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced a settlement in the Surprise warehouse litigation that delayed the conversion until environmental reviews were completed, which would take about a year.

"This agreement is a significant win for the people of Surprise and for the rule of law," said Mayes, adding, "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."

What Grijalva is Saying

"After local residents overwhelmingly opposed ICE's plans for massive new detention centers in Marana and Surprise, the Trump Administration is quietly moving to expand existing facility capacity in Florence," said Rep. Grijalva in a press release. "At the same time, people already in Arizona detention centers can't get clean drinking water, edible food, or adequate medical care. DHS should be fixing these appalling conditions — not preparing to funnel another $1.2 billion in taxpayer dollars into expanding Trump's cruel mass detention and deportation machine."