ICE to Push Ahead With Warehouse Detention Expansion Despite Lawsuits and Federal Investigation

The Department of Homeland Security is continuing to move forward with plans to convert warehouses across the country into large-scale immigration detention centers, despite mounting lawsuits, local opposition and a new federal investigation into whether the agency overpaid for the properties, according to The Washington Post.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said in internal meetings this month that the agency is preparing contracts tied to construction and operations at warehouse sites in San Antonio and near El Paso.

ICE is also evaluating what work can continue at a warehouse near Hagerstown, Maryland, after a federal judge temporarily blocked most construction there over environmental concerns, according to The Post.

The continued planning appears to contrast with comments Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin made earlier this week suggesting DHS may begin shifting away from warehouse-based detention centers. In an interview with CBS News, Mullin acknowledged growing scrutiny surrounding the warehouse initiative and said the department was "going to change the focus a little bit" by exploring county jails and shuttered local facilities instead.

"Rather than just looking at warehouses, we're going to look at county jails," Mullin said, arguing that warehouse retrofits often require extensive permitting, utility upgrades and infrastructure work that can take "18 to 24 months to bring online."

But the internal ICE discussions described by The Washington Post suggest warehouse facilities remain a key part of the administration's long-term detention strategy. DHS reportedly still plans to have both Texas facilities operating by early 2027, even as multiple communities and states challenge the projects in court.

The warehouse initiative has become one of the most controversial components of the Trump administration's effort to expand detention capacity nationwide as part of its deportation agenda. ICE aims to increase detention space to more than 92,000 beds through what it calls its "Detention Reengineering Initiative."

The DHS Office of Inspector General announced Thursday that it had launched an audit into whether ICE acquired warehouse properties "in a cost-effective manner." According to CoStar data cited in the reporting, DHS has spent nearly $1 billion purchasing vacant industrial buildings across several states, often paying between 11% and 13% above market value.

Opposition has also emerged from Republican-led communities that broadly support Trump's immigration policies but worry the detention centers could overwhelm local infrastructure. Social Circle, Georgia, filed a lawsuit this week arguing a proposed 10,000-bed facility could strain sewage systems and pose risks to public health.

"Donald Trump's plan to lock up thousands of people in warehouses made for Amazon packages is inhumane," Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) said in an emailed statement to The Post, calling the inspector general probe "an important step in holding this administration accountable and getting answers for the American people."