Salt Lake City awaits update on planned ICE detention center
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Salt Lake City leaders say they've received no updates about the federal government's plans for the state's first immigration detention center.
The big picture: A New York Times report last week detailed how Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to hand off or sell the Salt Lake City warehouse it recently purchased and had planned to convert into a detention center for up to 10,000 people.
The latest: Andrew Wittenberg, a spokesperson for the Salt Lake City Mayor's Office, told Axios the city had not received any new information about the future of the warehouse as of Monday.
What they're saying: In a statement to Axios on Monday, DHS said it was "moving swiftly to utilize EXISTING detention space with our state and county partners," when asked about whether it still planned to convert the Salt Lake City warehouse.
Catch up quick: ICE purchased an 833,000-square-foot warehouse on the city's west side in March for $145.4 million.
- During the first year of President Trump's second term, ICE purchased 11 warehouses across the U.S. for $1 billion, per the Times, as part of the administration's mass deportation push.
Yes, but: Those conversion plans were reportedly put on hold amid a review of warehouse purchases made under former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
- Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County filed a federal lawsuit earlier this month seeking to halt the conversion.
Between the lines: A spokesperson for Gov. Spencer Cox, who has advocated for an immigration detention center in Utah, did not respond to Axios' request for comment.
Flashback: Cox told reporters in March that he was unaware ICE was purchasing the Salt Lake City warehouse prior to the sale.