According to a new report by Bloomberg, warehouses are increasingly being targeted by the Trump administration as locations that could be converted into immigration detention centers.
According to the outlet, DHS has already scouted dozens of locations across the country to remodel and convert into detention centers, with the largest facilities able to hold as many as 9,500 people.
With a $45 billion budget fueled by guarantees included in President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” passed last summer, DHS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement have already spent millions of dollars purchasing warehouses. On Jan. 16, Bloomberg reported that the Trump administration paid $102 million for a site near Hagerstown, Maryland. A week later, it made another $70 million cash purchase for a warehouse in Surprise, Arizona.
Bloomberg said that ICE plans to use as many as 23 warehouses nationwide to detain immigrants arrested by law enforcement, with facilities ranging in size from 500 to 9,500 beds. Despite the administration’s plans, the idea has faced significant public pushback.
Many residents and local leaders have voiced concern and opposition to the detention centers, citing their proximity to homes and schools, immigration policy objections, and logistical challenges related to sewer capacity and water demand, among other issues.
In Virginia, residents of Hanover County attended a Board of Supervisors meeting to protest the purchase of a roughly $50 million warehouse, as reported by Axios. Similar scenes played out in Maryland, Minnesota, Texas, New Hampshire and New York, where residents packed county meeting rooms to oppose the proposals.
Despite the backlash, Bloomberg noted that local governments have limited ability to prevent ICE and DHS from operating detention facilities in their communities, as federal actions typically supersede local regulations, making it difficult for municipalities to block DHS plans.
As reported by the outlet, more than 73,000 people are currently in ICE custody, an all-time high for the agency and an 84% increase from the same period in 2025, when the detention population stood below 40,000. According to the report, plans to open warehouses converted into large-scale detention centers would provide the agency with an additional 76,500 beds.
Although the Trump administration has already moved forward with several warehouse purchases, some deals have collapsed following public outcry. In Ashland, Virginia, Canadian billionaire Jim Pattison said on Jan. 30 that a deal to sell his 550,000-square-foot warehouse “will not be proceeding” after he learned more about the building’s intended use and prospective ownership.
Similarly, owners of a warehouse in Oklahoma City told Mayor David Holt that they would not sell or lease their facility to the agency. As noted by Bloomberg, given the pushback and the logistical challenges, there’s no guarantee each of the 23 sites will be completed.
Originally published on Latin Times
