ICE Spends $200M On Pennsylvania Warehouses For Detention Facilities
The Trump administration is ramping up its purchases of warehouses to use as detention facilities, with two big deals closing in Pennsylvania.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spent $87.4M on a 520K SF warehouse in Berks County in a deal that closed Monday, Spotlight PA first reported. The facility at 3501 Mountain Road in Upper Bern Township could accommodate up to 1,500 beds.
Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security spent almost $120M on a building owned by a Blue Owl Capital affiliate in nearby Tremont Township, Bloomberg reported Wednesday. It plans to use it as an ICE facility that could potentially house 7,500 people.
The deals are part of a nationwide push from ICE, which is eyeing facilities at 23 sites, Bloomberg reported last week. The largest — outside Dallas in Hutchins, Texas — could hold up to 9,500 detainees.
The agency’s real estate moves have garnered protests nationwide amid ICE’s controversial crackdown in Minneapolis.
That included demonstrations in Tremont and Hagerstown, Maryland. U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland, spoke to protesters Jan. 20, calling the agency's operations “obscene” and “inhumane” and saying he doesn't want an ICE facility in the state.
A pair of Republican Pennsylvania state lawmakers representing the Berks County area — State Sen. Chris Gebhard and Rep. Jamie Barton — said they contacted federal agencies for more information on the plans.
“Our immediate concerns include the potential loss of property tax revenue for the host municipality, county, and school district, as well as security and perimeter considerations,” they said in a joint statement to Spotlight PA.
An ICE spokesperson defended the agency’s actions in a statement provided to Spotlight PA.
“Thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill, ICE has new funding to expand detention space to keep these criminals off American streets before they are removed for good from our communities,” the spokesperson said.
The agency has also been in talks to purchase a 324K SF warehouse in Merrimack, New Hampshire, owned by Trammell Crow Co. and Diamond Realty Investments.
While some sales to ICE have gone through despite pushback, other owners have backed out.
Canadian firm Jim Pattison Developments announced last week it won’t sell a 552K SF distribution warehouse in Hanover County, Virginia, to ICE after local officials publicly opposed the plan. Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, a Republican, said a warehouse owner in the municipality is no longer considering a deal with DHS
