Resistance erupts over ICE scouting warehouses in the D.C. region
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The Department of Homeland Security is emerging as a major buyer in the commercial warehouse market, snapping up large properties that advocates say are being primed for ICE detention — and triggering protests across the D.C. region.
Why it matters: ICE's detention population has soared under Trump, but lack of capacity has been a bottleneck on mass deportations. Now that DHS has $45 billion to spend from the "Big Beautiful Bill," it's moving quickly.
- Some of the sites the agency is scouting are warehouses previously designed for e-commerce retailers, Bloomberg reported.
Friction points: In Hagerstown, Maryland, hundreds of protesters gathered last week outside a nearly 826,000-square-foot warehouse the federal government recently bought for $102 million, per Bloomberg. They were joined by Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), who has been a vocal voice against ICE's expansions.
- On Monday, officials in Howard County revoked building permits for a privately run detention facility in Elkridge that county officials said was intended for ICE use, according to the Baltimore Banner.
- County lawmakers are set to vote this week on emergency legislation to block the project.
Protests are also spreading in Virginia, from the Richmond area — where DHS signaled it wanted to buy a $50 million warehouse — to Stafford County, 40 miles south of D.C.
- Internal ICE documents reviewed by the Washington Post describe plans for a warehouse-turned-detention center in Stafford that could hold up to 10,000 detainees. That would make it one of ICE's largest new facilities.
- Local officials told NBC4 that the county currently doesn't have the infrastructure to support such a massive holding facility, and that upgrades to water, sewer and other utilities would come at a high cost to taxpayers.
The intrigue: Maryland's "Dignity Not Detention Act," passed in 2021, has largely shut down long-term ICE detention in the state — but it leaves some openings for the federal government, the Baltimore Banner reports.
- The law bans state and local governments from striking contracts with ICE for immigration detention — but it doesn't stop ICE from buying facilities outright. It also doesn't bar private facilities from contracting with the federal government.
- The law does include "zoning guardrails" that could slow new detention sites by requiring public meetings and reviews, Del. Vaughn Stewart (D-Montgomery County), one of the bill's sponsors, tells the Banner.
Between the lines: Existing detention centers are drawing renewed criticism. A Baltimore ICE facility, which went viral for overcrowding, was toured by a Democratic Maryland lawmaker last week, who called conditions "horrendous."
- DHS told CBS News that winter weather delayed some detainee transfers.
The big picture: The administration's goal is to have facilities hold approximately 500 people at smaller warehouses, and between 7,500 and 9,500 at the largest ones.
- When DHS buys a property itself, that makes it harder for city and state governments to push back on the agency's plans.
The bottom line: Almost 70,000 people are currently being held by ICE, according to the latest figures in early January. ICE is obligated to update this data bi-monthly for Congress.