Chamber Speaks Up on Surprise ICE Facility

Local business concerns reach national media and the official federal review process.

Northwest Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce

A local business leader first brought the proposed ICE detention and processing center in Surprise to my attention.

The concern wasn’t about immigration politics.

It was about business.

Can employees get to work? Can trucks get in and out? Can companies continue receiving and shipping products? And if normal operations are disrupted, who communicates with the businesses nearby?

Those are practical questions, and they are exactly the kinds of questions a Chamber of Commerce should be asking.

The Stakes Are Becoming Clearer

This is not a small operation.

According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the proposed facility could accommodate up to 1,500 individuals at a time, along with as many as 676 ICE officers, administrative personnel and contractor support staff over a 24-hour period.

Recent reporting also shows that the project’s effects could extend beyond the building itself.

KJZZ reported that the City of Surprise has requested more than $6.1 million to accelerate development of a groundwater well and nearly $1.8 million for additional water and wastewater treatment capacity. The project could also carry additional water-resource obligations.

These are proposed project-related obligations, not simply an unrestricted $8 million payment to the City.

Read the KJZZ report on the proposed infrastructure funding.

That illustrates an important point:

• A project of this size can have significant effects outside the facility.
• The City has a responsibility to address infrastructure.
• The Chamber has a responsibility to make sure the businesses already there have a voice.

Our Concern Reached a National Audience

The business community’s concerns have received attention far beyond the Northwest Valley.

The USA TODAY Network recently quoted me in national reporting examining proposed immigration detention facilities around the country.

My concern was straightforward:

“Can employees get to and from work?”

It’s a simple question, but an important one.

Behind every government study are real employers, employees trying to get to work, trucks making deliveries and companies trying to keep their operations running.

That’s the perspective we believe belongs in this discussion.

Read the USA TODAY Network investigation.

We Put Business Concerns Into the Official Record

The Department of Homeland Security opened an official 30-day public-comment period for its Draft Environmental Assessment. DHS says the comments received will help inform its Final Environmental Assessment.

The Northwest Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce has formally submitted comments representing the business perspective.

Our submission is intended to ensure that the federal review considers the practical operating conditions of businesses already established in the surrounding employment area.

Our comments focus on:

• Employee and commercial access
• Trucks and deliveries
• Communication with nearby employers
• Availability of emergency services
• Monitoring actual business impacts after operations begin
• Opportunities for qualified Northwest Valley businesses to compete for applicable contracts and subcontracts

We also made an important recommendation:

Planning shouldn’t end when the facility opens.

Studies tell us what is expected to happen. Actual operations tell us what does happen.

If the facility moves forward and creates greater problems for surrounding employers than anticipated, there should be a process to identify those problems, communicate them and address them.

Business Should Share in the Opportunity

There is another side to this discussion.

A federal operation of this size will purchase goods and services.

If the project moves forward, qualified businesses in Surprise and throughout the Northwest Valley should have a meaningful opportunity to learn about and compete for applicable contracts and subcontracts.

We’re not asking for special treatment.

We’re asking for access to opportunity.

The businesses located in the community experiencing the effects of this federal investment should have a fair opportunity to participate in the economic activity it creates.

This Is What Chamber Advocacy Looks Like

When people hear “Chamber of Commerce,” they sometimes think about networking, mixers and ribbon cuttings.

Those things matter. But they aren’t the whole job.

Advocacy matters too.

When decisions could affect businesses, employers deserve a voice in the conversation.

That doesn’t mean automatically supporting government decisions. It doesn’t mean automatically opposing them either.

We work with government, but we represent business.

That’s what happened here.

A business leader brought a concern to us. We listened. We examined the federal government’s plans. The business perspective became part of a national conversation. And when the federal government opened its formal public-comment process, we made sure the Northwest Valley business community had a voice in the official record.

The federal government has its responsibilities. The City of Surprise has its responsibilities.

And the Chamber has a responsibility to the businesses that make our community work.

We take that responsibility seriously.

Advocating for business isn’t something a Chamber does only when an issue becomes controversial.

It’s part of why a Chamber exists.

Connecting Business. Advocating for Business.