Former Marana prison to serve as an ICE detention center

For people in Marana and across Southern Arizona, the former correctional facility along Silverbell Road is expected to reopen as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center, bringing a new federal immigration operation, hundreds of jobs and renewed debate over safety, accountability and the treatment of detainees. Management and Training Corporation, which has operated the site for decades, announced that it signed an agreement with ICE on Sept. 29, 2026. The company expects to reopen the facility within about 60 days, with one local television report placing the anticipated opening in late November.

MTC has said the facility will hold approximately 775 people and employ about 330 to 338 full time workers once it is fully staffed. The company describes its role as operating the center safely and professionally while meeting or exceeding ICE’s National Detention Standards and providing compassionate care. MTC operates correctional and immigration detention facilities in several states and says its services currently involve more than 17,800 people in the United States.

The Town of Marana says it was not a party to the agreement and does not have authority to decide whether the property functions as a prison or an ICE detention center. Town officials said the site has been used as a correctional facility for decades and is properly zoned for that type of operation under existing land use regulations. Mayor Jon Post said town leaders recognize that residents have strong and opposing views about the center. He added that the Marana Police Department will continue working with all law enforcement partners, including the facility’s operators, with community safety as its goal.

MTC has operated the property since 1994 under an agreement with the Arizona Department of Corrections. Before the proposed ICE conversion, the site operated as a minimum security prison. In May, the Tucson City Council unanimously adopted a symbolic position opposing the conversion, though the council’s action did not give the city authority over the Marana property. The facility’s future has also drawn opposition from Pima Resists ICE, a grassroots group that has protested the proposed detention center.

Residents have expressed sharply different views. Marana resident Betsy Smith said she believes the center will support federal immigration enforcement and contribute to safety in Marana, Southern Arizona and the country. Bennett Burke questioned whether transporting large numbers of people through the community, particularly people who have not been convicted of crimes, would improve public safety. Burke also cited concerns about escapes and riots that he associated with MTC’s past operations.

The facility’s projected size has been a source of confusion. A Department of Homeland Security document previously described renovations that would raise the site’s capacity from 506 people to 775. The same document said the facility could eventually expand to more than 1,300 people, a figure that alarmed Marana Town Councilmember Patrick Cavanaugh. Cavanaugh said such an expansion would require enlarging the prison. Town Manager Terry Rozema said MTC told the town that the 1,300 person figure was not part of the company’s proposal or its plans for the facility. MTC’s stated capacity in connection with the new agreement remains about 775 beds.

Earlier federal documents also revealed planned physical changes to the site. DHS said renovations would occur in phases and could include new light poles, another fence equipped with detection systems, and vegetation work intended to preserve clear camera views. The plans also described additional exam rooms, observation cells, a triage room and dental facilities. The notice was issued because the property is in a 100 year floodplain, and it invited public comments about potential environmental effects.

That public comment process became another point of contention. DHS posted the notice online, with comments accepted by email through June 18, but Pima Resists ICE said it was unclear how long the comment period had been open or whether the agency had publicized it beyond its website. The group urged residents to respond, while Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva called for an extension of at least 30 days. Caroline Isaacs of the group said the notice offered more information than residents previously had, but criticized the process as rushed and insufficient for public scrutiny. The federal notice did not provide a projected renovation schedule.

The contract announcement follows months of uncertainty in federal records. DHS issued a performance work statement in February describing a potential agreement, but the contract was listed as inactive in March and remained that way in public records for a time. In reporting published before the September announcement, both ICE and MTC said no contract had yet been signed and that the companies were still working through a sole source process. The later announcement from MTC said an agreement had been signed, marking a new stage in the facility’s conversion. As preparations continue, Marana residents are likely to see the debate shift from whether the center will open to how it will operate, how many people it will hold and how federal, local and private officials will address community concerns.