Pima County residents debated the proposed reopening of the former Arizona State Prison-Marana as an immigration detention center operated by Management and Training Corporation (MTC) in early 2026. According to ICE officials, the sole-source contract awarded to MTC aims to increase detention capacity by housing up to 775 detainees to support interior enforcement and border decompression efforts.
The proposed reopening of the former Arizona State Prison-Marana as an immigration detention center has sparked significant opposition from local officials and community groups in Pima County. The Utah-based Management and Training Corporation (MTC), which repurchased the facility in July 2025 for $15 million from the Arizona Department of Administration, is slated to operate the center under a sole-source contract awarded by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in February 2026.
The contract, posted on the federal System for Award Management (SAM) website, outlines a two-year agreement for comprehensive detention services at the site near Silverbell Road and Sanders Road in Marana, Arizona.
Federal records indicate the facility will house up to 775 detainees, primarily adult men, to support ICE’s interior enforcement and border decompression efforts. Public reporting has described the center as a 500-bed facility, while ICE documents specify plans to detain approximately 512 men at the site. The contract names MTC as the sole owner and operator meeting ICE’s requirements during the specified timeframe. ICE officials first publicly acknowledged intentions for the Marana site in an agreement released prior to March 14, 2026.
The announcement has drawn sharp criticism from local lawmakers. Representative Adelita S. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) issued a statement on February 27, 2026, expressing concerns over the lack of transparency surrounding the contract. Alongside Representatives Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.) and Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), Grijalva sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons demanding detailed information about procurement procedures, detention capacity, staffing, medical services, and local compliance within 15 days. Grijalva also joined protesters at the Marana site on March 10, 2026, voicing opposition to the plans. Arizona Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego have supported the Respect for Local Communities Act, which would require local approval before ICE facilities can be established.
Locally, the Pima County Board of Supervisors passed a 4-1 resolution on February 3, 2026, formally opposing the detention center. The resolution urges other municipalities in the region to oppose the facility and supports congressional inquiries into the matter. District 3 Supervisor Jen Allen convened a community meeting in October 2025 with organizations including the ACLU of Arizona, Just Communities Arizona, and the Florence Project to discuss potential impacts. Allen stated at a news conference prior to March 16, 2026, that the board took pride in adopting the resolution, emphasizing a responsibility to protect residents and steward local land resources.
Marana city officials have also voiced concerns about the process. City Councilmember Patrick Cavanaugh said MTC initially purchased the building with hopes of repurposing it as a minimum-security prison but acknowledged that local officials were not consulted about the facility’s conversion to an immigration detention center. Cavanaugh described the Pima County resolution as symbolic but expressed a desire for similar opposition from Marana’s governing body. He joined dozens of protesters at the gated site in early March 2026, underscoring local resistance. City leadership has repeatedly stated they were not meaningfully involved in discussions prior to the contract award.
Community groups have mobilized in opposition as well. Pima Resists I.C.E. (PRICE), an activist organization formed to resist the detention center, has led efforts to pressure officials for transparency and accountability. Hundreds of residents attended public forums demanding more information and opposing the expansion. PRICE organizer Kristin Downing criticized MTC, the federal government, and the Marana City Council at a news conference on March 11, 2026, for profiting from detention operations. On March 10, 2026, dozens gathered with Representative Grijalva and Supervisor Allen at the site to protest the reopening.
The Marana facility was Arizona’s first private prison until the state purchased it from MTC in 2013. MTC currently operates five immigration detention centers nationwide, primarily in Texas and California. Nationwide, immigration detention facilities recorded the highest number of deaths in custody in fiscal year 2025 since 2004, according to federal data. The reopening of the Marana site as an ICE detention center follows a broader federal strategy to increase bed capacity amid ongoing border and interior enforcement challenges. Local opposition and congressional inquiries continue as the contract period approaches its start date in early 2026.
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