Alligator Alcatraz entrance
The entrance to the state-managed immigration detention center dubbed Alligator Alcatraz, located at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in the Florida Everglades on August 03, 2025 in Ochopee, Florida.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has reportedly awarded a $313 million contract to GardaWorld Federal, the company operating Florida's Alligator Alcatraz detention center, to convert and run a warehouse detention site in Surprise, Arizona, according to a report by Human Rights Watch, even as the Department of Homeland Security reviews a broader plan to expand migrant detention through warehouse acquisitions.

The Arizona project, described by the NGO as one of the most significant developments in the warehouse strategy, would convert a 400,000-square-foot industrial building into an immigration detention center with capacity for up to 1,500 people, though local officials say federal authorities are now considering scaling that down to roughly 542 beds

The facility is expected to open by September 2026, according to Human Rights Watch. The contract links one of the administration's newest detention projects with a contractor already under scrutiny for its role in the Florida site known as "Alligator Alcatraz."

The move comes amid mixed signals from DHS. Senior officials recently said the department has paused additional warehouse purchases launched under former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and is reviewing some deals already completed, as El Pais points out.

That plan had aimed to sharply increase detention space as the number of people in ICE custody rose from roughly 40,000 when President Donald Trump returned to office to more than 70,000, according to recent reports.

Even with that pause, the Surprise project suggests parts of the detention expansion remain active. DHS has reportedly purchased 11 warehouses across several states at a combined cost of about $1 billion.

Human Rights Watch warned that converting warehouses "not designed to house people" raises serious concerns about detention conditions, pointing to past cases of "disease, medical neglect, and physical abuse" in U.S. immigration facilities. The organization also noted that at least 32 people died in ICE custody last year, with 2026 already on track to exceed that figure.

The Arizona contract has also renewed attention on GardaWorld's work in Florida. In late March, Democratic Sens. Jon Ossoff and Dick Durbin called for an investigation into allegations of abuse at Alligator Alcatraz, including claims that detainees were punished in a cage-like structure known as "the box," where they were allegedly shackled in the sun without food or water.

Questions have also mounted over the financial and legal structure of the Florida project as. Court filings reported in early March indicated that Florida taxpayers could ultimately be responsible for as much as $1.5 billion connected to Alligator Alcatraz after anticipated federal reimbursements failed to fully materialize.

Originally published on Latin Times