ICE looking to sell warehouse designated for detention center, report says
Originally Published: 22 JUN 26 14:04 ET
By Jeff Tavss , Suzanne Stevens
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SALT LAKE CITY (KSTU) -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is looking to sell the Salt Lake City warehouse it purchased earlier this year to house an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center, according to a new report.
The New York Times said the Salt Lake City warehouse is one of seven that the government is now trying to offload, either by selling the facilities or giving them to other federal agencies.
DHS originally purchased the warehouse just west of Salt Lake City International Airport for a reported $145 million.
According to the report, the warehouse plan, which was an initiative favored by former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, is no longer supported by current Secretary Markwayne Mullin.
Eleven warehouses have already been purchased, with four still on schedule to become ICE detention centers. The remaining warehouses, including the one in Salt Lake City, are now subject to being sold.
Earlier this month, Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County filed a lawsuit over the warehouse and the planned detention center, claiming it was "cloaked in secrecy" and violated federal laws.
When contacted by FOX 13 News, the office of Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson had no comment about the New York Times report.
Thursday's news was welcomed by those who spent hours protesting the site after it was purchased, but for protest organizer TJ Young, the fight is far from over.
“I think it’s just making Salt Lake City an unattractive site for DHS and a problem," said Young. "So we want to continue being a problem.”
Marie Cornwall with Uproar Utah shared similar sentiments, but isn't ready to stand down just yet.
“We’re over the moon. We’re celebrating, but with caution," she said. “Until we get something official, we’re just going to keep going with our plans.”
Although neither Wilson nor Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall shared their thoughts on the report, the Utah Democratic Party called out DHS and ICE for their change of plans.
"Mass detention has no place in Utah, at any price," said the Utah Democratic Party. "ICE paid millions for an SLC warehouse, and may now sell or abandon it. This is fiscal recklessness and an insult to taxpayers.
"Let us be clear: ICE is not welcome here."
Besides Salt Lake City, the other locations where ICE is reportedly looking to unload its facilities are Romulus, Michigan, Social Circle, Georgia, Flowery Branch, Georgia, Hamburg, Pennsylvania, Tremont, Pennsylvania and Roxbury, New Jersey.
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