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Arizona has sued the federal government to block a proposed Immigration and Customs Enforcement mass detention facility near a site in the city of Surprise allegedly filled with hazardous chemicals.
“The Trump administration has run roughshod over federal law in its rush to expand detention capacity across the country,” Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, whose office filed the lawsuit Friday, said in a statement.
Mayes claims the Department of Homeland Security and ICE have not conducted or publicized the required environmental reviews for opening a facility. The lawsuit also alleges the proposed facility — which could house anywhere from hundreds to up to 1,500 individuals — violates the Immigration and Nationality Act, which mandates the federal government arrange for “appropriate” places for immigration detention.
An ICE spokesperson told CBS News that before purchasing this site, the agency carefully evaluated the use of existing facilities to help minimize environmental impacts, “including potential impacts to protected species, sensitive natural resources, and valued cultural resources.”
The spokesperson added that the lawsuit wasn’t about the environment, “It’s about trying to stop President Trump from making America safe.”
Congress appropriated $45 billion to ICE in July 2025 for “single adult alien detention capacity and family residential center capacity,” to remain available for obligation through September 2029, the lawsuit said. One of those recently acquired processing sites is the warehouse in the city of Surprise, which court documents said the federal government purchased for $70 million on Jan. 23. The federal government has issued contracts for over $300 million to retrofit the warehouse.
The lawsuit alleges the warehouse was not constructed as a space to house hundreds of people, but as an industrial distribution facility for up to four commercial tenants. Court documents say the warehouse “sits directly across the street from a chemical storage facility containing thousands of gallons of hazardous materials.” The warehouse includes more than 100,000 feet of containerized hazardous materials storage for chemicals used in semiconductor production, according to the lawsuit.
CBS News reached out to DHS for comment specifically regarding Arizona’s claims that there are hazardous chemicals in a warehouse across the street from the proposed detention facility, but did not receive a response before publication.
DHS has faced opposition from other cities and states where the federal government plans to open mass detention facilities.
The Atlanta City Council approved a resolution earlier this week opposing the construction or operation of large-scale immigration detention centers in Atlanta. The resolution raised concerns about a recently purchased warehouse in Social Circle, Georgia, that could hold up to 10,000 detainees, which local officials said could strain infrastructure like water and sewer systems.
CBS News Atlanta reported earlier this month that DHS had paused plans to open the detention center. City Manager Eric Taylor said he read about the pause online and that all ICE detention centers were paused while undergoing a process review.
Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown filed a lawsuit in March against ICE and DHS after the federal government purchased a warehouse near Williamsport to turn into a detention facility.
The government said in responding court documents that all necessary reviews were conducted and the plaintiffs’ claims did not demonstrate a preliminary injunction would be in the public interest. A Maryland judge granted a preliminary injunction on April 15 to stop the construction of the detention facility while the lawsuit plays out.
