ICE has been quietly scooping up mega warehouses to turn into detention centers

Rudy Cruz Jr., the mayor of the predominantly Hispanic town, expressed his dismay, "Nobody from the federal government bothered to pick up the phone or even send us any type of correspondence letting us know what’s about to take place."

Socorro, characterized by low-slung ranch homes and trailer parks, where orchards meet strip malls, is now among at least 20 communities nationwide targeted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) $35.6 billion expansion of detention facilities.

As public support for the agency and the administration’s immigration crackdown wanes, communities are increasingly vocal in their opposition to mass detentions. Concerns range from potential strain on water supplies and local services to a reduction in tax revenue. Often, local leaders, including mayors, commissioners, governors, and even Members of Congress, have only learned of ICE’s plans after properties were purchased or leased, sparking frustration even in areas that had previously supported the administration.

"I just feel," Mayor Cruz, whose wife was born in Mexico, stated, "that they do these things in silence so that they don’t get opposition."

Deeds show that ICE, a division of DHS, has acquired at least seven warehouses across Arizona, Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Texas. While other deals have been announced, some have yet to be finalised, with eight sales scuttled due to local opposition. DHS has pushed back against the term "warehouses," asserting in a statement that they would be "very well structured detention facilities meeting our regular detention standards."

The process has been fraught with missteps. ICE recently admitted to a "mistake" in announcing warehouse purchases in Chester, New York, and Roxbury, New Jersey, with the latter sale subsequently closing. DHS has confirmed its search for more detention space but has refrained from disclosing individual sites before acquisitions. Some cities have been alerted to ICE’s scouting activities by reporters, while others received tips from an online spreadsheet circulated by activists.

The full scope of the project was only confirmed on February 13, when New Hampshire’s governor’s office, facing backlash over a planned 500-bed processing centre, released an ICE document. It revealed the agency’s intention to spend $30.2 billion to boost detention capacity to 92,000 beds. Since the administration took office, the number of people detained by ICE has surged from 40,000 to 75,000 across more than 225 sites.

The document outlines plans for eight large-scale detention centres, each capable of housing 7,000 to 10,000 detainees, alongside 16 smaller regional processing centers and the acquisition of 10 existing "turnkey" facilities. This expansion is funded through a significant tax and spending cuts bill passed by Congress last year, which nearly doubled DHS’s budget. The administration is utilising military contracts to construct these centres, a method that allows for considerable secrecy and rapid action, bypassing standard processes and safeguards, according to Charles Tiefer, a professor emeritus of law at the University of Baltimore Law School.

In Socorro, the sheer scale of the ICE-owned warehouses – large enough to accommodate four and a half Walmart Supercenters – stands in stark contrast to the town’s Spanish colonial architecture. At a recent City Council meeting, public comments stretched for hours. Jorge Mendoza, an El Paso County retiree whose grandparents immigrated from Mexico, remarked, "I think a lot of innocent people are getting caught up in their dragnet." Many speakers also voiced concerns about three recent deaths at an ICE detention facility at the nearby Fort Bliss Army base.

Even communities that had previously supported the administration have been blindsided. In rural Berks County, Pennsylvania, Commissioner Christian Leinbach discovered ICE’s £69.2 million purchase of a warehouse only after a local land records official informed him. "There was absolutely no warning," Leinbach said, highlighting the loss of over £630,000 in local tax revenue, despite ICE’s claims about income taxes paid by its workers.

In Social Circle, Georgia, a town of just 5,000, officials were stunned by plans for a facility that could hold 7,500 to 10,000 people. They learned of the £101.5 million warehouse sale through a reporter, only hearing from DHS after the deal was complete. Like Socorro and Berks County, Social Circle questioned whether its water and sewage systems could cope. While ICE claims due diligence, Social Circle stated the agency’s analysis relied on a yet-to-be-built sewer treatment plant. "To be clear, the City has repeatedly communicated that it does not have the capacity or resources to accommodate this demand," the city declared.

Similarly, in Surprise, Arizona, officials sent a scathing letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem after ICE acquired a massive warehouse in a residential area near a high school without warning. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, has even raised the prospect of legal action to declare the site a public nuisance.

Back in Socorro, residents queued to speak against the ICE facility, spilling out of the City Council chambers. Eduardo Castillo, a former attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, advised city officials that challenging the federal government, while intimidating, is "not impossible." He warned, "If you don’t at least try, you will end up with another inhumane detention facility built in your jurisdiction and under your watch."