In a 4-to-1 vote, the Pima County Supervisors passed a resolution Tuesday opposing a prospective immigration detention center in Marana.
Supervisor Jennifer Allen, whose district includes a swath of Marana, proposed the resolution.
“I think like other folks in our community, I have been struggling to figure out what it is that we can do to stand up,” she said. “Because we have to stand up.”
Supervisors Rex Scott, Matt Heinz, and Andres Cano joined Allen in voting to oppose the center. Supervisor Steve Christy cast the lone opposing vote.
Public conversation and scrutiny about the proposed detention center began in 2025, when Management and Training Corporation purchased a shuttered prison facility in Marana. The Utah-based company operates a handful of detention centers across the Southwest.
Tuesday’s vote came after a string of public comments, which lasted well over an hour. The vast majority of speakers strongly condemned the detention center and immigration enforcement operations, both in Pima County and nationwide. Kristin Downing, a longtime Marana resident and organizer with the group Pima Resists ICE, expressed concern for her neighbors in the event of the detention center’s establishment.
“Would people feel safe leaving their homes to go to the dog park, or to church? Would the cashier at the grocery store feel safe to come into work?” she asked.
While Tuesday’s resolution passed, county officials described certain limitations in the county’s ability to bar the detention center. For instance, the Town of Marana — not Pima County — controls zoning regulations in the area of the proposed detention facility. Sam Jones, Chief Civil Deputy with the County Attorney’s Office, said on Tuesday that staff were exploring other forms of legal authority that could block the center from opening.
