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3h ago

Property Owners Back Out as ICE Pushes Warehouse Expansion, With San Antonio Site in Focus

Local withdrawals highlight the limits of municipal power over the federally funded detention buildout.

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Melissa Kane, a self-described worried mother, joins protestors clad in red cloaks inspired by the dystopian novel and TV series, "The Handmaid's Tale," as they protest outside a warehouse federal officials are touring to consider repurposing for an ICE detention facility, in Kansas City, Mo., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Heather Hollingsworth)
A man takes photos of a warehouse as federal officials tour the facility to consider repurposing it as an ICE detention facility Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Belton, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Barricades block a drive outside a warehouse as federal officials tour the facility to consider repurposing it as an ICE detention facility Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Belton, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Overview

  • A Virginia developer and an Oklahoma City warehouse owner have ended talks to sell to the federal government, with Jim Pattison Developments canceling a planned Ashland sale and Mayor David Holt saying an OKC owner is no longer engaged.
  • ICE is reportedly pursuing the Oakmont 410 warehouse on San Antonio’s East Side for a processing center of up to 1,500 beds, according to an internal document and a source familiar with the potential deal.
  • The push is part of a roughly $45 billion expansion, with January purchases including a $102 million warehouse in Maryland, an $84 million site in Pennsylvania, and a property exceeding $70 million in Arizona.
  • Legal experts and officials note that federal use of private properties generally preempts local zoning, with courts striking down state bans in California and New Jersey and city attorneys advising that ICE operations are largely beyond local regulation.
  • Cities and states are testing countermeasures, including Kansas City’s five-year moratorium, New Mexico House legislation restricting government contracts for ICE detention, and a proposed California tax on operators, as recent Minnesota enforcement shootings intensify scrutiny.