WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Greg Stanton (AZ-04) led U.S. Representatives Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03) and Adelita Grijalva (AZ-07) on two letters demanding answers about the recent $313.4 million contract awarded to GardaWorld Federal Services LLC (GardaWorld) by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to renovate the Surprise, Arizona immigration facility.
“Once again, DHS leaves Arizonans in the dark, awarding a massive contract to a firm with no experience in detention center oversight. This is Trump’s mass deportation agenda at work, and none of this makes our community safer or more prosperous—just the opposite,” said Rep. Stanton.
“Arizonans are fed up with ICE terrorizing our communities and they don’t want to see yet another detention center here in Arizona, especially not one in a hastily converted warehouse, run by an unqualified contractor, that is being built with no input from the local community. That’s why Reps. Stanton, Grijalva, and I are demanding answers,” said Rep. Ansari
“At a time when in-custody deaths are reaching record highs, it is deeply alarming that DHS is handing out massive federal contracts to companies with no experience operating detention facilities,” said Rep. Grijalva. “This reckless expansion is being driven by Trump’s arbitrary deportation quotas and a for-profit detention industry cashing in on the suffering of families, including children and the elderly."
In a letter directed to outgoing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Todd Lyons, the lawmakers continued to press the administration over its failure to notify local government leaders, raising concerns about community impacts and mitigation measures.
The letter also demands greater transparency into the decision-making process behind the contract, questioning whether it represents a responsible use of taxpayer dollars and why it was awarded through a Department of Defense (DOD) procurement system that bypasses the normal competitive bidding process.
The letter to DHS and ICE is HERE.
In the second letter, sent to GardaWorld Federal Services President Pete Dordal Jr., the lawmakers question the firm’s ability to convert a warehouse not designed or zoned for human habitation and how code-compliance reviews will be conducted. A report from the Washington Post also shows that GardaWorld has not previously been directly contracted by DHS to oversee a detention facility.
“The decision to convert a warehouse not designed or zoned for human habitation into a large-scale detention facility on an expedited basis raises profound questions about contractor qualifications, concern for human health and safety, and the humane treatment of individuals who will be held there,” the lawmakers wrote.
The letter to GardaWorld Federal LLC is HERE.