ICE is buying warehouses across America to build the biggest detention network ever

Bloomberg calls it largest expansion ever

ICE is buying warehouses across the country and turning them into immigration detention centers.

Bloomberg reported on January 29-30, 2026, that this could be the largest expansion of detention capacity in U.S. history.

The agency plans to use up to 23 warehouses total, and sites are located in at least eight states. Texas, Maryland, Arizona, Minnesota, Virginia, and New Jersey all have locations on the list.

Two warehouses already purchased

ICE paid $102 million for an 825,000-square-foot warehouse near Hagerstown, Maryland. The facility sits on 53 acres in Williamsport, about 7 miles outside Hagerstown.

The agency also paid $70 million cash for a 418,000-square-foot warehouse in Surprise, Arizona, and that deal closed on January 23, 2026. Together, these two properties cost $172 million.

Texas would get largest facilities

A planned facility in Hutchins, Texas, would hold 9,500 detainees, which would make it the largest immigration detention center in the nation.

Hutchins is a town of about 8,000 people, less than 10 miles south of Dallas. The warehouse spans roughly 1 million square feet and was originally designed for Amazon.

A second Texas facility in El Paso would hold 8,500 detainees.

Documents reveal four Texas sites

Internal ICE documents obtained by the Dallas Morning News identify four Texas facilities. Together, these sites would add at least 20,000 detention beds in the state.

ICE also plans additional processing centers in San Antonio and Los Fresnos.

Hutchins and El Paso would operate as “mega” detention centers, while smaller sites would serve as processing facilities before transfers to the larger centers.

Big Beautiful Bill funds expansion

The expansion draws funding from $45 billion set aside for ICE detention.

President Trump signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill” on July 4, 2025, and it represents a 308 percent increase over ICE’s 2024 detention budget. The goal is to expand capacity to hold 100,000 detainees.

ICE currently holds more than 70,000 people, which is a record high.

Local officials had little warning

Hutchins Mayor Mario Vasquez said the city had little warning about ICE’s plans. Officials in Surprise, Arizona, said they did not know about federal plans either.

Washington County, Maryland, received notice just days before the purchase closed.

Many warehouse owners have been approached quietly by ICE officials, and local governments say they have limited power to stop federal purchases.

Oklahoma City deal collapses after protests

A proposed facility in Oklahoma City was canceled after community opposition.

More than 60 citizens spoke against the plan at a city council meeting, and Mayor David Holt announced on January 30 that property owners ended talks with DHS.

The proposed site was a warehouse near SW 29th and Council Road. Holt urged other property owners to show similar concern for their communities.

Protests spread across the country

Plans in nearly two dozen communities have sparked protests. Hundreds of protesters gathered in Hagerstown, Maryland, with Senator Chris Van Hollen.

In Hanover County, Virginia, protesters flooded a Board of Supervisors meeting. Residents in Minnesota, Texas, New Hampshire, and New York have packed public meetings as well.

Kansas City’s city council passed a resolution trying to block new detention centers.

Communities raise infrastructure concerns

A proposed facility in Roxbury, New Jersey, draws from an aquifer near its usage limit. Maryland officials worry about the strain on roads, power, and water.

Faith groups warn of strain on local health resources, and some sites sit near schools, homes, and businesses. Critics point out that warehouses were designed for packages, not housing people.

ICE defends expansion plans

ICE says converting warehouses near major hubs will handle rising arrests more efficiently. The agency says it will avoid shuttling detainees around the country in search of space.

ICE stated that facilities will meet regular detention standards and will not remain as warehouses.

Officials say new centers are needed to manage growing detention numbers and that the expansion will speed deportations.

States have limited power to block

Maryland’s 2021 Dignity Not Detention Act bars state contracts with ICE. However, the law cannot restrict the federal government from operating its own facilities.

Federal projects are generally not subject to local zoning regulations, and courts have often recognized federal authority to override municipal rules.

Environmental impact assessments may create some hurdles for certain sites.

Advocacy groups sound alarm on conditions

The ACLU says the expansion will lead to preventable deaths and abuses. Six people died in ICE custody in just the first three weeks of 2026.

Critics say most people in immigration detention are not criminals. Nearly 90 percent of ICE detainees are held in facilities run by private companies.

Advocacy groups warn about converting industrial buildings to meet federal detention standards.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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