ICE suffers multiple blows in push for new detention centers

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has encountered a series of setbacks in its efforts to expand detention capacity by acquiring large industrial warehouse properties, with owners in several communities declining to sell or proceed with proposed deals.

Why It Matters

ICE has been thrust into the forefront of the national spotlight amid growing scrutiny over its treatment of migrants in detention. In 2025, 32 individuals died while in ICE custody, raising concerns about allegations of mistreatment, inadequate medical care, and human rights violations.

As part of the White House’s hard-line immigration agenda, ICE has sought to acquire warehouse properties across the United States for potential conversion into detention facilities. Several of the proposed sites have faced opposition from local officials, community members and advocacy groups, contributing to stalled or canceled transactions.

Newsweek has contacted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) via email for comment.

What To Know

In Hutchins, Texas, the California‑based Majestic Realty announced on February 16 that it will not sell or lease its Dallas County warehouse to the federal government for use as a detention facility. The company said it was contacted by the DHS about a potential sale, but will instead pursue other economic uses for the property.

Internal ICE planning documents obtained by The Dallas Morning News previously identified the warehouse as a possible site to house thousands of migrants, a plan that sparked outrage among local leaders.

Hutchins Mayor Mario Vasquez said the company’s decision followed sustained community concern over the potential impact of a large detention center on the small city’s infrastructure and economy.

“God answered our prayers,” Mayor Vasquez told The Dallas Morning News after the decision.

“We’re grateful for the long-term relationship we have with Mayor Mario Vasquez and the city of Hutchins and look forward to continuing our work to find a buyer or lease tenant that will help drive economic growth,” Majestic Realty said in a statement.

In Kansas City, Missouri, a separate proposed deal to sell a warehouse in the south of the city to the federal government also collapsed. Platform Ventures, the warehouse owner, said it will not complete the sale, stating that the government’s offer terms did not meet its requirements for a timely closing. The potential transaction had drawn scrutiny after federal agents toured the site earlier this year in connection with ICE’s plan for nationwide detention expansion.

“While this specific sale will not move forward, my concerns about the expansion of mass detention and the lack of transparency surrounding immigration enforcement decisions have not change,” Representative Emanuel Cleaver, a Missouri Democrat, said in a statement. “Congress has a constitutional obligation to serve as a check on the executive branch, and I will continue pressing DHS for answers wherever due process, human rights, and fiscal responsibility are at stake.”

Local officials expressed concern that use of the property as a detention center would conflict with the site’s intended industrial purposes. The Port Authority of Kansas City subsequently voted to sever future negotiations with the developer, although it acknowledged it has limited legal authority to prevent sales of privately owned land.

A similar situation unfolded in Oklahoma City, where plans to convert a warehouse at 2800 South Council Road into an ICE facility were abandoned after the property’s owners ended discussions with the federal government about selling or leasing the nearly 27‑acre site for the project, Mayor David Holt announced on social media.

“I commend the owners for their decision and thank them on behalf of the people of Oklahoma City,” Holt said in a post on X.

ICE plans to spend $38.3 billion to acquire warehouse properties nationwide and convert them into detention centers capable of holding tens of thousands of immigrants, according to agency documents provided to New Hampshire’s governor and published on February 12. The funding was allocated under the One Big Beautiful Bill

The documents indicate that detainees would typically spend three to seven days at the processing sites before being transferred to larger facilities, where they would remain for about 60 days prior to deportation. The documents state that the additional detention space is intended to accommodate the agency’s recent hiring of more personnel and an anticipated increase in arrests.