MARANA — A private prison operator has signed a contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to reopen a closed Marana facility as an immigration detention center, with operations expected within about 60 days.
Management & Training Corp. announced the deal this week, describing a 775-bed site that could employ roughly 338 full-time workers once fully staffed. MTC ran the prison for the state for nearly three decades before Arizona shuttered it in late 2023.
Company leaders said they would meet or exceed ICE’s National Detention Standards. Federal planning documents cited earlier this year listed housing, security, meals, medical care and transport among contractor duties. Capacity figures have varied in public notices — one referenced up to 775 people, while facility detail sheets have listed about 513 beds.
U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva, whose district includes Marana, criticized the agreement, arguing the Department of Homeland Security is rushing another private detention site over local objections and raising questions about care standards and how many people would be held.
ICE had signaled in February it intended a two-year sole-source award to MTC. The company’s latest announcement did not disclose the contract’s dollar value.