Grijalva, activists say Marana ICE facility is not final

A  lack of federal oversight is forcing local governments and community members to implement their own guardrails on immigration detention centers in their communities, Rep. Adelita Grijalva says.

Grijalva spoke at a news conference outside of Marana’s municipal building a week after private prison company Management and Training Corporation, MTC, announced they had signed a contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to open a detention center within 60 days in the former state prison building on West Silverbell Road.

“This is the fault of our federal government not doing our jobs, and we're leaving Marana and other towns like Marana holding the bag,” Grijalva said.

Pima Resists ICE, or PRICE, the opposition group that was formed in response to MTC purchasing the empty Marana facility last summer, organized the press conference to call on town leaders to slow or block the opening of the facility.

“Yes, MTC and DHS have signed a contract, but that doesn't make this a done deal,” said Daniela Ugaz, a PRICE member and attorney.

Grijalva and PRICE advocates spoke of the company’s fraught history as a state prison contractor, and recent allegations against MTC from a Lookout News investigation showing how the company mishandled sexual abuse allegations between inmates and guards.

Grijalva also criticized inhumane treatment at other ICE detention facilities, allegations of poor treatment and pay of MTC employees, and especially remaining unanswered questions about the facility’s capacity and intended demographic.

“This is happening as deaths in ICE custody reach record levels, and as an agency fails to provide even the most basic care for the people already in its custody,” she said.

MTC said the contract is for 775 beds, but a floodplain report from the Department of Homeland Security released this summer listed the potential capacity as 1,300 detainees. Grijalva said she still doesn’t have clarity on the official number of beds.

In terms of the facility’s price tag, two listings for the Management and Training Corporation exist on the System for Award Management, or SAM.gov, a website that tracks federal grants.

One listing shows an initial $25.8 million contract, and another for a larger “indefinite delivery” contract for $355 million. This means the government can award up to that amount for five years, until September 2031, Grijalva said.

Grijalva has also sent a letter to DHS to reconsider the contract.

“They approved a contract with an organization that wasn’t upfront as to what actually happened,” she said.

After the news conference, about 10 people spoke against the ICE detention center at the Marana Town Council meeting later Tuesday evening, including some PRICE members. Many of them urged the seven-member council to consider their recommended actions. PRICE believes the Town can make stipulations in permits and memorandums with the company to prevent MTC from increasing the capacity beyond 775 people.

They also urged the council to deny MTC a business license on the grounds that MTC misrepresented itself to federal auditors and failed to fix conditions that led to the 2015 Kingman riots that resulted in nearly $2 million in property damage. A month later in 2015, then-Republican Governor Doug Ducey terminated the state’s contract with MTC over the riots.

Whistleblower Alex Randall, a former MTC employee and main source of the Lookout News investigation, said the company withheld information on the federally required Prison Rape Elimination Act audits.

“They couldn't even pass a federal audit when it was a prison, and it feels like ICE detention centers have far more lax laws and regulations,” he said.

Mayor Jon Post limited Tuesday’s call to the audience to 30 minutes and 10 speakers.

“Is it because you’re tired of what people have to say?” one audience member said as the crowd reacted with groans.

The town has maintained that the facility is already zoned to be used as a correctional facility, and the town itself is not involved in the agreement. Marana town officials referred The Star to its previous statement when asked about specific oversight powers the town may have.

“We recognize that there are strong opinions within our community and we’ve heard from residents both in support of and in opposition to the center. Marana Police Department remains committed to community safety and will work with all law enforcement partners, including the facility’s operators, to serve that goal,” Post said in the statement.