SURPRISE, AZ — In a dramatic escalation of opposition to a planned ICE processing center, activists have filed what they describe as an unprecedented petition to disincorporate the City of Surprise and return its land and assets to Maricopa County.
Organizers announced the effort during the final city council meeting before the summer recess, saying city leaders have failed to protect residents from the impacts of the federal facility.
Jeremy Helfgot, an activist involved in the effort, said he submitted the petition on Tuesday to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors clerk. If the petition language is approved, he will have 180 days to gather at least 70,000 signatures to force a vote by the Board of Supervisors.
“It is an uphill climb. We know it’s going to require a lot of work, but it is worth the effort to protect this community if its leaders won’t protect it,” Helfgot said.
Activists have raised concerns about conditions at other ICE detention sites and pointed to the proximity of a chemical storage facility to the planned Surprise location. They have also distributed baseball card–style handouts criticizing each member of the Surprise City Council.
Erika Andiola of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network urged city leaders to take a stronger stance.
“Just have a little bit of courage to stand up to the Trump Administration and close this detention warehouse. No human should live in these conditions,” Andiola said.
City officials, including Mayor Kevin Sartor, met with representatives from the Department of Homeland Security and ICE in March. Sartor has said the facility near Waddell and Dysart roads will serve as a short-term processing center, holding undocumented immigrants for three to seven days.
He said operations would begin with about 250 people per week, with a maximum of 542 occupied beds, and emphasized that no one would be released within city limits.
Sartor also said the city cannot prevent a federal agency from purchasing land, but is working to minimize local impacts.
Some activists argue the project should not move forward without more detailed planning.
“Without a plan, the work must stop,” said Brent Peak of Northwest Valley Indivisible.
The facility is expected to open around September.
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