10
Loading video...
By Billal Rahman
Immigration Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
The Trump administration is rapidly moving forward with an expansive plan to convert industrial warehouses into immigration detention and processing centers nationwide.
The initiative, involving the acquisition of dozens of large facilities, has stirred significant pushback from residents, local officials, and lawmakers in communities across the country.
Why It Matters
The strategy forms part of an effort by the Trump administration to reshape the nation’s immigration enforcement infrastructure.
Read More on News
The expansion of detention facilities has drawn attention from advocates and oversight groups, who have cited concerns about conditions, reports of harsh treatment, and a rising number of deaths in custody. In 2025, ICE detention facilities recorded 32 deaths, the highest number in over two decades. So far in 2026, six additional deaths have been reported.
...
What To Know
ICE plans to expand its detention capacity by converting roughly 23 industrial warehouses into detention sites that, when fully operational, could collectively hold tens of thousands of immigrants who are awaiting deportation proceedings, according to The Washington Post.
According to Bloomberg, the planned facilities would have capacities ranging from 500 to 9,500 beds. If fully developed, the largest sites would rank among the country’s largest detention centers.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) purchased two warehouses this month, including one in Williamsport, Maryland, for $102 million, according to a recorded General Warranty Deed.
The agency has purchased a 400,000 sq ft warehouse in Surprise, Arizona, for $70 million in cash, according to Maricopa County records. The site, formerly the Surprise Pointe Commerce Center, was developed by Rockefeller Group for multi-tenant industrial use.
These properties, formerly industrial or multi-tenant facilities, are being repurposed to serve as detention and processing hubs.
Hanover County learned on January 22 that the DHS intends to purchase property off Lakeridge Parkway for a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing facility. County officials were not consulted on the site selection or negotiations and say the location, in a commercial and residential area, is inconsistent with local land use.
The Board of Supervisors opposes the purchase and has directed staff to evaluate potential impacts and submit a summary to DHS.
Andrew Fels, an immigration attorney, told Newsweek that converting warehouses into detention facilities is "highly unusual".
He noted that ICE typically operates either existing private prisons or contracts with local jails rather than repurposing industrial buildings. Fels said the approach raises questions about necessity and oversight, particularly when existing detention pipelines already move detainees rapidly through the system.
Fels said he would feel "very intimidating" for the local community if ICE attempted to build an "unnecessary" detention site close to home. Communities targeted for these warehouse conversions have raised concerns about infrastructure, zoning, and suitability for human occupancy.
In Oklahoma City, the owners of a warehouse at 2800 S. Council Road withdrew from discussions with DHS, prompting praise from local leaders. Similar concerns have emerged in Maryland, Texas, and New York, where residents and officials questioned whether the large facilities could be safely and humanely operated.
Earlier this month, about 1,200 people in Merrimack, New Hampshire, protested the conversion of a warehouse.
DHS has said that all facilities will meet federal detention standards, including space for medical care, recreation, dining, and attorney access. However, critics argue that repurposed warehouses may not be suitable for long-term detention and stress the need for transparency and oversight. The administration has been struggling to ramp up deportation numbers, in part due to a lack of space to hold those set for removal.
What People Are Saying
Andrew Fels, an immigration attorney, told Newsweek: "The idea of just buying a warehouse and sort of setting up these impromptu federal detention facilities, that's very unusual to me."
"A DHS facility at this property on Lakeridge Parkway is not consistent with the established land use for this business, residential and commerce area," Board of Supervisors Chair Sean M. Davis said in a press release.
Congresswoman April McClain Delaney of Maryland said in a statement: "Planning a detention facility behind closed doors is not governance, it is intimidation. For DHS to make such egregious plans in the cloak of darkness is yet another example of a lawless agency hellbent on harassing, assaulting, and killing our neighbors."
Congressman Chip Roy of Texas told NOTUS: "I’m not personally inspecting every facility, but I’ve been in a hell of a lot of them over the years. The facilities I’ve been in are pretty friggin’ nice."
What Happens Next
ICE is moving forward with site acquisitions and plans to begin conversions later this year
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines