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3h ago

Orlando Leaders Oppose Reported ICE Use of Eastside Warehouse

Local officials say the warehouse’s conversion would require special permits under city zoning.

Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet, Executive Director, Hope CommUnity Center and other local elected officials and community advocates decry the potential ICE processing center in Orlando at a press conference on Monday. (Orlando Sentinel/Natalia Jaramillo)
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Overview

  • At a Hope CommUnity Center press event, Rep. Maxwell Frost, Rep. Anna Eskamani and advocates denounced a possible ICE detention or processing site in east Orlando.
  • Local outlets reported ICE representatives toured the 439,945-square-foot Beachline Logistics Center, though ICE, DHS and the state have not confirmed selecting the location.
  • Orange County Jail reported 831 bookings on ICE holds since Jan. 1, including roughly 300 over a recent 48-hour period, underscoring a sharp local surge.
  • Eskamani said the site would need a Conditional Use Permit, with reviews by the municipal planning board and city council, as Commissioner Nicole Wilson raised sanitation and traffic concerns.
  • If established, it would be the first ICE detention facility in Central Florida, as Gov. Ron DeSantis has voiced support for expanding detention capacity elsewhere in the state.