AT A GLANCE
• DHS has quietly purchased large warehouses nationwide as part of a 45 billion dollar ICE detention expansion
• Local officials in multiple states say they were not notified before sales were finalized
• ICE detainee numbers have increased to 75,000 from 40,000 since President Donald Trump returned to office
• San Antonio’s Eastside is now facing a similar proposed warehouse conversion near schools and neighborhoods
Quiet Acquisitions Leave Communities Scrambling Nationwide
In Socorro, Texas, city leaders learned through a deed filing that the Department of Homeland Security had closed on a 122.8 million dollar purchase of three warehouses totaling 826,000 square feet. No prior notice was given to local officials.
Mayor Rudy Cruz Jr. said the federal government did not contact the city before finalizing the deal.
Socorro is one of at least 20 communities with large scale warehouse properties that have become targets in Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s sweeping 45 billion dollar expansion of detention facilities.
ICE has purchased at least seven warehouses in Arizona, Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Texas, according to filed deeds. DHS disputes the characterization of the properties as warehouses, stating they will be structured detention facilities meeting federal standards.
Detention Capacity Expands To 92,000 Beds
The scope of the expansion became public on February 13 when documentation released by New Hampshire officials showed ICE plans to spend 38.3 billion dollars to increase detention capacity to 92,000 beds.
Since Trump took office, ICE detainee numbers have climbed from 40,000 to 75,000 across more than 225 sites nationwide.
Plans include eight large scale detention centers capable of housing between 7,000 and 10,000 detainees each, 16 smaller regional processing centers and the acquisition of 10 existing turnkey facilities. The expansion is funded through last year’s tax and spending legislation that nearly doubled DHS’ budget, with the administration relying on military contracting tools that allow for faster approvals and limited public disclosure.
Financial And Infrastructure Questions Mount in Other States
In Berks County, Pennsylvania, officials learned only after the fact that ICE had purchased a warehouse for 87.4 million dollars, eliminating more than 800,000 dollars in local property tax revenue. In Social Circle, Georgia, a 128.6 million dollar warehouse purchase could create a facility housing up to 10,000 detainees in a city of about 5,000 residents.
Local leaders in both areas questioned water, sewage and emergency response capacity.
Turning the building into a federal detention site would eliminate more than 800,000 dollars in local property tax revenue. While ICE has pointed to income taxes paid by federal employees, the facilities themselves would be tax exempt.
In Social Circle, Georgia, a city of about 5,000 residents, officials learned through a reporter that ICE had finalized a 128.6 million dollar deal for a 1 million square foot warehouse. Plans indicate the site could house between 7,500 and 10,000 detainees, potentially doubling the city’s population.
City leaders have questioned whether water and sewage systems can handle the demand. ICE maintains it conducted due diligence, though Social Circle officials say the analysis relied on a sewer plant that has not yet been built.
In Surprise, Arizona, local officials sent a sharply worded letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem after ICE purchased a warehouse near a residential neighborhood and high school without prior notice. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has raised the possibility of legal action to have the facility declared a public nuisance.
San Antonio Eastside Drawn Into National Pattern
San Antonio now finds itself connected to that national pattern.
Federal immigration authorities are reportedly close to purchasing a 640,000 square foot vacant warehouse at 542 S.E. Loop 410 on the city’s Eastside. The property, marketed as Oakmont 410 and described as the largest industrial speculative building in San Antonio, could be converted into an ICE processing facility.
The site sits directly across from Essence Preparatory Public School and near Sam Houston High School, Davis Middle School and Copernicus Park.
San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones has formally asked members of the Texas congressional delegation to oppose any federal funding that could support the project. In a letter to Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz and Representatives Joaquin Castro, Henry Cuellar, Greg Casar, Tony Gonzales and Chip Roy, the mayor warned that placing a detention facility in what she described as an already economically strained corridor could hinder long term development.
Mayor Jones wrote that the project could negatively impact investment and make it more difficult to attract higher paying jobs residents have long sought. She also indicated openness to alternative proposals that would strengthen economic growth rather than introduce what she views as a setback.
Eastside leaders have raised concerns about proximity to schools and residential neighborhoods, as well as the broader implications of placing one of the city’s largest industrial properties into federal detention use.
