DHS retained unqualified contractor GardaWorld for court-ordered environmental review of Surprise, AZ ICE facility

On September 4, 2026, attorneys for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security disclosed in a status filing with U.S. District Judge Susan Brnovich that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had retained GardaWorld to conduct the environmental review of its planned Surprise, Arizona detention facility. GardaWorld is the same contractor DHS had already paid $313.4 million to renovate and operate the facility, under an agreement that could grow past $700 million through a possible extension into 2029. The filing did not name the contractor, but the city of Surprise separately confirmed in a public update that its staff had met with a GardaWorld representative gathering information for the assessment.

The review was the condition Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes accepted in July 2026 to pause a lawsuit she filed in April after ICE purchased the 400,000-square-foot warehouse, alleging DHS fast-tracked the facility in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act and other federal laws. The settlement bars DHS from housing any detainee at the facility -- capacity up to 1,500 people -- until the assessment is complete.

Federal procurement records show GardaWorld's roughly 70 prior federal contracts since 2010, worth nearly $2.3 billion, are almost entirely for security, food service, technical training and transportation -- not environmental review. A GardaWorld representative declined to discuss the company's relevant experience and referred questions to DHS; a DHS spokesperson likewise would not answer questions about GardaWorld's qualifications, instead issuing a statement that the department is "moving swiftly to utilize EXISTING detention space with our state and county partners."