Rep. Grijalva Calls on DHS to Extend Public Comment Period, Abandon Plans for Proposed Marana Detention Facility

Tucson, AZ – U.S. Representative Adelita S. Grijalva released the following statement after the Department of Homeland Security discretely published an environmental floodplain report about the proposed detention facility in Marana, Arizona. Unless extended, the deadline for public input would close today. This comes after a new report that DHS is selling seven of the eleven warehouses it recently purchased for detention purposes across the country.
“Once again, DHS is rushing through a public comment period to avoid public scrutiny and expedite Trump’s mass deportation agenda. Our community has already made its concerns clear. DHS should extend the review period by at least 30 days to give the public a meaningful opportunity to review this report and provide feedback. Apart from the environmental impacts, DHS’s plans to double the occupancy capacity of this facility, especially when we have seen the sub-human conditions at the existing facilities it oversees, is a bright red flag.”
“Human beings are not cargo to be warehoused in detention facilities, where far too many are denied even the most basic medical care and treatment. DHS should abandon its plans for this facility, just as they have done with others around the country. This endeavor has proven to be a giant waste of taxpayer dollars – but a giant windfall for private detention companies that have gotten paid millions of dollars for empty beds .”