Overview
- ICE bought large warehouses in January in Washington County, Maryland ($102M), Berks County, Pennsylvania ($84M), and Surprise, Arizona (over $70M), with officials saying the sites will operate to agency detention standards.
- Property owners in Ashland, Virginia, and Oklahoma City withdrew from planned sales or leases after public opposition, according to local officials and company statements.
- Kansas City imposed a five-year moratorium on non-city-run detention facilities the day ICE toured a nearly 1 million-square-foot warehouse, with a county official told the agency sought a 7,500-bed site.
- In San Antonio, reporting indicates ICE is pursuing the vacant Oakmont 410 warehouse for a 1,500-bed processing center identified in an internal document, drawing objections from local leaders who have limited power to block the deal.
- Legal experts note that federal immunity and recent court rulings limit local ability to prohibit ICE facilities, even as protests grow and internal plans describe a hub-and-spoke system with mega sites holding 5,000 to 10,000 people.