Local officials left out of the process
The federal strategy prioritizes speed over transparency, according to documentation from multiple states. In Arizona, the state’s top prosecutor, Kris Mayes, learned of a $70 million warehouse purchase in Surprise, a Phoenix suburb, only after the sale closed. The 418,000-square-foot facility will be retrofitted into a 1,500-bed processing site at an estimated additional cost of $150 million, according to DHS documents.
In Florida, a television reporter observed federal contractors touring a 440,000-square-foot industrial warehouse in Orlando in January. An ICE senior adviser told the reporter the tour was “exploratory.” Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said the city had not been contacted by federal officials and that it has no legal authority to block the facility’s use.
A similar pattern emerged in Maryland, where DHS purchased a warehouse 60 miles northwest of Baltimore for $102.4 million. The deed, filed in January, revealed the transaction to county officials after the fact. County commissioners later passed a resolution supporting ICE activities, though they said DHS had notified them only that it was “considering” purchasing the facility for a new processing center.
Deals abandoned under community pressure
Community mobilization has derailed acquisitions in several locations. In the Minneapolis suburbs of Woodbury and Shakopee, warehouse owners pulled out of possible deals with ICE after public outcry, local officials said. A development company in Kansas City announced after weeks of public pressure that it would not move forward with the sale of a massive warehouse to the federal government.
In Virginia, Jim Pattison Developments said it became aware of the intended detention use only after agreeing to sell a property in the Richmond suburbs to a U.S. government contractor. Following boycott threats, the company announced the transaction would not proceed.
In Oklahoma, property owners informed Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt that they were no longer engaging with DHS about a potential acquisition. In Byhalia, Mississippi, a possible facility was withdrawn after local officials and zoning authorities opposed it, according to Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, who said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem agreed to look elsewhere.
Governors clash with federal officials
The expansion has generated conflict between state and federal authorities. In New Hampshire, Governor Kelly Ayotte disputed federal assertions about state-level coordination. After interim ICE Director Todd Lyons testified before Congress that DHS “has worked with Gov. Ayotte” and provided her with an economic analysis, Ayotte responded that the assertion was “simply not true.” She noted the summary was sent hours after his testimony and contained a substantive error — it referenced “ripple effects to the Oklahoma economy” in a document allegedly about New Hampshire, and cited non-existent state sales and income taxes as sources of revenue.
The planned New Hampshire facility, a 500-bed processing center in Merrimack, carries a $158 million price tag.
In Pennsylvania, Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro said his administration will fight DHS plans to convert two warehouses purchased in rural eastern Pennsylvania into detention centers. DHS paid $119.5 million for a warehouse in Tremont Township and $87.4 million for one in Upper Bern Township.
National acquisition campaign
Texas has seen both significant acquisitions and failed bids. In the El Paso suburb of Socorro, ICE paid $122.8 million for three warehouses totaling 826,780 square feet. In San Antonio, ICE paid $66.1 million for a separate 639,595-square-foot warehouse. The mayors of both cities are opposed. However, a real estate company in the Dallas suburb of Hutchins confirmed that federal representatives approached it about a property but said the company would not sell or lease any buildings to DHS for detention use.
The warehouse-buying campaign reflects one of the Trump administration’s most visible immigration enforcement initiatives. By converting existing industrial facilities rather than constructing new detention centers, the federal government avoids lengthy permitting processes and formal community engagement. Some communities have successfully mobilized against the conversions: in Utah, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall expressed gratitude in her State of the City address that warehouse owners had announced they would not sell or lease their properties to the federal government.
In New York, ICE initially announced it had purchased a warehouse in Chester but later said it had made a mistake. State Assemblyman Brian Maher said the agency is no longer considering the facility.
Georgia is slated to house some of the largest facilities. ICE purchased a warehouse in Social Circle for $128.6 million, with plans to accommodate 7,500 to 10,000 detainees using modular construction. In Oakwood, plans are underway to convert a separate warehouse, though Republican U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde noted no deed has been filed. The city manager said his first indication that a deal was imminent came when a warehouse supervisor told a city inspector to clear the site for new federal ownership.
In New Jersey, Roxbury announced that ICE had closed on a warehouse purchase despite the township offering tax abatements to stop the sale. The mayor and city council issued a statement saying “Roxbury Township will not passively accept this outcome.”