Locals Express Concern Over Proposed ICE Detention Center in Arizona

People living in Surprise, Arizona, said Homeland Security bought a large warehouse to house illegal immigrant detainees, but did not inform the community.

The Department of Homeland Security purchased a 418,000-square-foot warehouse building as a potential detention center for illegal immigrants, sparking local backlash, in Surprise, Ariz., on Feb. 12, 2026. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

SURPRISE, Ariz.—The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) purchased a large warehouse in Surprise, Arizona, in January to house as many as 1,500 illegal immigrants.

DHS spent $70 million in cash to purchase the building, as part of the Trump administration’s push to transform sites nationwide into federal detention centers.