For Immediate Release // Please Excuse Cross Posting
Wednesday, June 17th, 2026
Contact: Erika Andiola, 480- 278-6843, eandiola@ndlon.org
SURPRISE, AZ — Community members and human rights advocates staged a powerful demonstration outside the Surprise City Council meeting to demand local government intervention against a planned 1,500-bed immigration processing facility.
The demonstration featured a live simulation of a detention cage with a human inside, accompanied by a continuous audio broadcast of real testimonies from immigrants detailing the horrific treatment and conditions they suffered inside federal immigration detention centers.
The protest targets the Department of Homeland Security’s $70 million purchase of a 418,000-square-foot commercial warehouse on Sweetwater Avenue. The Trump administration plans to convert this massive site into a high-capacity immigration processing and detention hub.
“Human beings are not inventory, and Surprise City Council should not be complicit in warehousing them,” said Erika Andiola. “The City Council claims its hands are tied by federal jurisdiction, but local leaders have a moral obligation to use every legal, zoning, and public resolution tool at their disposal to fight this facility. Silence is a choice.”
While city officials have previously stated the project is outside local control due to federal supremacy, the community’s mobilization continues to grow. The facility sits dangerously close to residential neighborhoods and Dysart High School, presenting severe ethical and safety concerns for the local community.
Advocates are demanding that the Surprise City Council formally pass a resolution opposing the facility and investigate municipal zoning restrictions to stall or stop the construction.
Photos and video coverage are available for download here and video of Erika’s speech outside of the City Council here.
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