Intermestic EB5 Fund II Wins USCIS Approval for Cobalt Processing Facility to Secure America's Defense Supply Chain

Phoenix, AZ, Oct. 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Intermestic EB5 Fund II has received approval from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for its $64.8 million EB-5 offering to invest in the EVelution Energy Project in Yuma County, Arizona, clearing the way for foreign investment in America's first solar-powered commercial-scale cobalt processing facility.

Intermestic EB5 Fund II has received USCIS approval of its Form I-956F for a $64.8 million EB-5 offering to invest in EVelution Energy's solar-powered cobalt processing facility in Yuma County, Arizona.

Cobalt is a critical input for America's military, from the alloys in fighter jet engines to the advanced weapons and defense systems that protect the nation. Yet China, America's foremost strategic rival, controls more than 75 percent of the world's cobalt refining, and the United States has no commercial-scale cobalt processing facility of its own, leaving U.S. weapons production dependent on a foreign adversary. EVelution Energy's facility is designed to put this critical mineral back under American control, with the capacity to supply up to 40 percent of projected U.S. cobalt demand.

America's reliance on Chinese cobalt is a strategic vulnerability, and Washington is moving fast to close it. The Pentagon is rebuilding its cobalt stockpile for the first time since 1990, and beginning January 1, 2027, defense contractors will be barred from using samarium-cobalt magnets that touch China at any stage, from mine to finished magnet. This facility is being built to meet that demand.

The facility already has its anchor buyer. Mitsui & Co., one of Japan's largest trading houses, has signed a binding five-year offtake agreement for substantially all of the facility's planned cobalt metal production, which EVelution estimates will generate approximately $850 million in sales over the initial term at current market prices, validating the project's commercial viability years before first production.

A Path to the American Dream, Built on American Strength

The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program offers qualified foreign investors a path to a U.S. green card for themselves, their spouses and their unmarried children under 21 by investing in American projects that create American jobs in rural and high-unemployment areas. Intermestic EB5 Fund II lets families pursue the American dream by investing in a project that strengthens America's national security.

A 9 Percent Return for Flagship Investors

Flagship investors in Intermestic EB5 Fund II are already earning a fixed 9 percent annual return, among the highest in the EB-5 market. Remaining flagship positions are limited and go first come, first served.

Timing also matters. Because the project sits in a USCIS-designated targeted employment area, investors who commit before the designation expires on December 12, 2026, qualify at the reduced $800,000 investment level. With only 81 investor positions in the offering, investors who commit early lock in both the flagship return and the lower investment amount.

"Economic security is national security," said Marco A. López, Jr., founder of Intermestic Capital. "In an era of rising global conflict, America cannot build the engines, missiles and munitions that defend it while depending on a strategic rival for the materials that make them work. I have spent my career at the intersection of investment and security, as Chief of Staff of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and as Director of the Arizona Department of Commerce, and I have rarely seen a project that serves both so directly. This facility brings that capacity home, and USCIS approval tells the world it is ready."

Construction is already underway. Work on the project's solar power facility, the first phase of the project, began on June 30, 2026, and is scheduled for completion by the end of 2028. Construction of the cobalt processing facility is expected to begin in late 2027, with commercial operations targeted for 2029. The project's USCIS-reviewed economic analysis projects more than 3,300 direct, indirect and induced jobs, and EVelution projects approximately $750 million in economic activity over the life of the project.

Qualified foreign investors can learn more at www.intermesticeb5.com.

About Intermestic Capital

Intermestic Capital LLC is an Arizona-based investment firm that directs global capital into projects aligned with U.S. national security and economic priorities. Through its EB-5 funds, including Intermestic EB5 Fund II LP, the firm connects qualified foreign investors with vetted American projects while managing the geopolitical and regulatory risks of strategic investment.

This announcement is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security. Any offering will be made only to qualified investors by means of confidential offering documents, and only in jurisdictions where permitted by law. USCIS approval of the I-956F does not guarantee approval of any individual investor petition. All returns are subject to the terms, conditions and risks described in the offering documents, and EB-5 investments involve risk, including loss of capital.

This release contains forward-looking statements, including projections of production, jobs, economic impact and timelines, which are based on current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially.

Press Inquiries

Sergio Chavez Moreno
sergio [at] intermestic.com
(915) 345-7138
https://www.intermesticcapital.com

A video accompanying this announcement is available here: https://youtube.com/watch?v=DEsQA7Rc3_E