The Trump administration's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is exploring the sale of large warehouses acquired earlier this year, which were intended to be mega-detention centers for immigrants. Two Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials confirmed that several of the eleven previously purchased warehouses have been identified for potential sale, though no final decisions have been made. These warehouses were envisioned to hold as many as 8,000 immigrants each and were part of a larger plan to achieve a capacity of 100,000 immigrant detainees nationwide, with the total cost for these purchases estimated at over $38 billion.
The warehouses were bought under former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, but current DHS officials indicate that ICE no longer requires the capacity to hold 100,000 immigrants. The acquisition plan faced significant public backlash and protests in various communities, with some local governments and even Republicans opposing the developments due to concerns about jobs or economic impact. For instance, Maryland successfully sued to block a warehouse near Hagerstown, and Senator Roger Wicker criticized plans for a Mississippi facility. Social Circle, Georgia, also challenged a purchase, alleging ICE paid over five times the property's assessed value for a $128.6 million warehouse.
Following former Secretary Noem's departure and the appointment of Secretary Markwayne Mullin in March, new warehouse purchases were paused, and all Noem-era contracts are under scrutiny. The DHS inspector general is auditing the warehouse purchases to assess their cost-effectiveness. In some cases, plans for existing warehouses have been scaled back; for example, a facility in Surprise, Arizona, initially planned for 1,500 beds, will now cap occupancy at 542 detainees. The DHS is also reviewing the possible sale of planes purchased or leased under Noem, including a luxury Boeing 737 Max 8, which would mark the first government-owned deportation planes.
