Transformation of Warehouses into Immigrant Detention Centers Faces Backlash

Thu Apr 09 2026 06:15:55 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

The Department of Homeland Security plans to convert multiple warehouses across the U.S. into detention facilities for immigrants, sparking widespread local opposition.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is considering a controversial plan to convert warehouses into detention facilities for tens of thousands of immigrants, amid significant public opposition. Despite investing over $1 billion into several major warehouse projects designed to house detainees, local officials and community members express concern regarding the operational capacity and resources. Key sites in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, and other states have been highlighted as potential detention locations, revealing strong community pushback and legal challenges against these initiatives.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is reviewing a plan to transform warehouses across the U.S. into detention facilities for tens of thousands of immigrants.

So far immigration officials have spent a total of $1.074 billion for 11 warehouses. They’ve mostly faced fierce opposition. And days after Mullin was sworn in, the Department of Homeland Security paused the purchase of new warehouses intended to house immigrants. The department is scrutinizing all contracts signed under his predecessor, Kristi Noem.

A look at some of the locations:

Arizona

Local officials were told nothing before ICE purchased a 418,000-square-foot warehouse in the Phoenix suburb of Surprise for $70 million, the state’s top prosecutor, Kris Mayes, said in a letter to former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

Documents later provided by ICE said the Department of Homeland Security plans a processing site with an average daily capacity of 1,000 to 1,500, and a contract worth at least $313.4 million was awarded to transform it.

DHS is now planning something more modest, starting out with 250 people per week and capping occupied beds at 542, according to Surprise Mayor Kevin Sartor.

Florida

A TV reporter in Orlando spotted private contractors and federal officials in January touring a 439,945-square-foot industrial warehouse. ICE senior adviser David Venturella told a WFTV reporter the tour was “exploratory.”

As of April, the city still hadn’t heard anything, a spokesperson said.

Georgia

ICE bought a massive warehouse in Social Circle for $128.6 million. The city said the federal government informed it that the facility is expected to house from 7,500 to 10,000 detainees.

The city is so concerned about the strain on its water supply that it put a lock on the warehouse’s water meter. DHS has suggested trucking in drinking water and trucking out waste, according to a letter from Georgia Democratic Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, who said the plan was unworkable.

Indiana

After the town of Merrillville raised concerns about ICE touring a new 275,000-square-foot warehouse, owner Opus Holding LLC sent a letter stating it isn’t negotiating with federal officials for the property.

Maryland

ICE purchased a warehouse about 60 miles northwest of Baltimore in Washington County for $102.4 million and signed a contract worth at least $113 million to renovate it. But work is on hold after Maryland’s attorney general sued.

The warehouse has divided the community. County commissioners passed a resolution in support of ICE during a contentious meeting.

Missouri

After weeks of public pressure, development company Platform Ventures announced it would not move forward with the sale of a massive warehouse in Kansas City.

New Jersey

After DHS bought a 470,044-square-foot warehouse in Roxbury for $129.3 million, the township and state sued, alleging that federal officials kept them in the dark.