Community opposition and court challenges have hampered ICE’s efforts to convert 24 commercial warehouses into detention facilities within months.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is moving forward with a controversial effort to vastly expand detention space by acquiring warehouses across the country and turning them into storage centers.
Officials plan to purchase and renovate 24 commercial warehouses, increasing capacity to more than 92,000 beds in the coming months, according to internal documents.
The largest of the proposed facilities, which ICE is calling a “megacenter,” would hold between 7,000 and 10,000 people at a time and would be the main hub for deportations. ICE also plans to purchase 16 warehouses and convert them into “processing centers,” where it will hold 1,500 detainees for an average of five to seven days, according to the document.
As of March 17, the government had purchased at least 11 warehouses across the United States, according to a USA TODAY analysis and the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE. In 11 other communities where ICE proposed detention centers, private developers and the federal government itself backed out of the deals after pushback from residents and local, state, and federal authorities on both sides.
ICE said in a statement that the facilities will be “well-structured detention facilities” and will undergo “rigorous due diligence” to ensure there are no negative impacts on the community.
“Every day, DHS conducts law enforcement operations across the country to keep Americans safe. It shouldn’t be news that ICE is actively working to make arrests and expand detention space in states across the country,” the agency said in a statement.
Some of the largest facilities purchased by ICE (including warehouses in Georgia and Texas) are more than 1 million square feet, roughly 17 times the size of an NFL football field.
Trump’s selection to lead DHS raises concerns about warehouses
Officials and residents alike have expressed concerns about whether warehouses used to store commercial cargo can safely and humanely house people. Local officials, including those in Republican districts, said the facility could overwhelm public sewer and water systems, especially in rural areas, and said they were not consulted about the project before the sale was completed.
ICE said it complies with all federal regulations and considers public infrastructure when investigating potential sites.
Plans could change, however, as DHS is expected to gain new leadership following the firing of Kristi Noem in early March. Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who was nominated by President Trump to lead the agency, expressed skepticism about the warehouse concept during his confirmation hearing.
“It’s important to talk to the community,” Marin said. He also said that because federal land is exempt from local property taxes, such large facilities could strain nearby infrastructure and reduce revenue for public services.
“Being from a small rural area in Oklahoma, this is a huge impact and we need to visit this community,” Mullin said.
ICE has spent more than $1 billion on warehouses so far
The agency plans to spend tens of millions of dollars constructing the site, adding recreational areas, dormitories, courtrooms and a cafeteria, as well as religious and medical facilities, according to internal documents.
The new effort has an estimated cost of $38.3 billion, money allocated last year through President Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill Act, according to ICE documents.
ICE has already spent more than $1 billion to purchase the warehouse, and the government has spent more than $100 million on five separate properties, according to public records. Commercial real estate firm CoStar found the agency was paying 11% to 13% above market rate for 10 warehouses, with some purchases paying as much as 30% more than comparable recent transactions.
ICE defended the purchase, saying the department was purchasing the commercial space at “fair market value.”
Officials aim to have each of the planned facilities operational by the end of November, according to internal documents, and the first facilities could begin housing detainees as early as the spring.
However, the plan may be set back due to mounting issues.
On March 11, a federal judge ordered a moratorium on construction at the Williamsport warehouse, saying the government “likely failed” to meet its obligations under the Environmental Protection Policy Act.
Georgia Social Circle also said local authorities will cut off water and sewer services at the planned detention center and will not unlock the system until the government answers questions about infrastructure support.
Here is local coverage of the ICE warehouse from USA TODAY Network:
This article will be updated regularly to reflect the latest developments in the planned detention center.
