Some local officials in Texas are opposing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) plans to expand its real estate holdings in the state. The agency, which has faced criticism following civilian deaths in Minneapolis, reportedly purchased a 1-million-square-foot warehouse in Hutchins, a Dallas suburb, with intentions to convert it into a detention center. This information was first reported by the Washington Post in December.
The proposed facility could detain up to 9,500 people, raising concerns among residents of Hutchins, a city with fewer than 8,000 inhabitants. Mayor Mario Vasquez expressed his opposition to the plan in comments to WFAA: “Warehouses in the town of 8,000 are for storage, not for holding people.” When asked about his stance on the project, he added: “Who wants an ICE facility in their backyard?”
Although ICE has not officially confirmed the purchase, the Clergy League for Emergency Action and Response stated that details of the transaction and its location at 950 North I-45 are widely known locally, according to D Magazine.
ICE is also reportedly considering other properties within Texas. In San Antonio, sources told the San Antonio Business Journal that ICE is looking at a 640,000-square-foot warehouse at 542 SE Loop 410 that has been vacant for nearly three years. Additionally, reports indicate that ICE is exploring property options in McAllen near the U.S.-Mexico border.
Bexar County Commissioner Tommy Calvert pledged resistance against any new detention centers: “These facilities are a front for more nefarious things to come if we don’t stop them,” he said to the San Antonio Business Journal.
While there is no public record confirming these transactions yet, reports suggest that ICE is increasing its property acquisitions nationwide.
Other recent developments in Texas real estate include Scott Everett’s S2 Capital issuing a capital call amid financial pressures and TPG announcing investment into renovations for Harwood District properties after acquiring interests from landlord Gabriel Barbier-Mueller’s firm. Meanwhile, a Panhandle ranch once owned by T. Boone Pickens was sold following legal disputes over naming rights earlier this year. In Houston’s luxury residential market, Satya’s St. Regis condo project set a new price record with penthouse listings reaching $3,100 per square foot.
