Last month, the federal government awarded a $313 million contract to security firm GardaWorld LLC — with the goal of establishing a new ICE facility in the City of Surprise.
Now, it appears those operations have stalled.
A stop work order related to the project was issued to GardaWorld last week, according to a database maintained by the federal government.
It’s not clear why the stop work order was issued, or how long it will last.
The database, USAspending.gov, did not list a reason for the halt in operations. An ICE spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
Surprise City Council member Chriss Judd told AZPM he learned about the work stoppage in a news article Monday. Later, he said, the city manager confirmed the stop work order with local ICE officials.
“I was excited,” said Judd.
Judd has openly opposed the facility, citing its location near residential areas and its potential effect on the nearby Luke Air Force Base.
“We were told through various sources that there was some sort of stoppage, for various reasons, you know, all speculative. So to actually see that they have put the contractor on hold is promising,” he added.
The stop work order was first reported by Project Salt Box — an initiative that tracks new detention centers across the country.
Continuing pushback##
The planned ICE facility in Surprise has garnered pushback in recent months, often dominating discussion during City Council meetings and prompting a local high school student to circulate a petition opposing it. City officials met with ICE and DHS to discuss the facility last month, and are attempting to finalize a written agreement that would ban ICE from sensitive local areas like schools and community centers, according to City Manager Andrea Davis.
Then, last Friday, Attorney General Kris Mayes sued DHS Sec. Markwayne Mullin and Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, accusing the top immigration officials of violating environmental regulations and other federal laws in their pursuit of the ICE facility.
“You lose every battle that you choose not to fight,” Mayes told reporters [at a news conference](
that morning.
The stop work order for GardaWorld was initially issued on Wednesday — two days before Mayes filed the lawsuit.
Reached Monday, Mayes’ office declined to comment on the stop work order, citing the pending litigation.
