Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall on Friday pledged to use “every tool at the city’s disposal” to halt an ICE detention facility planned for Utah’s capital.
Why it matters: The proposed site would mark the first ICE detention center in Utah and sets up a clash between Salt Lake City leaders who oppose it and state and federal officials who have pushed for one.
Driving the news: The Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday purchased a 24.9-acre warehouse near Salt Lake City International Airport (6020 W. 300 South) for $145 million, according to the deed of sale.
- The seller is listed as RREEF CPIF, a Delaware limited liability corporation.
- In a statement to FOX 13, ICE said the site will be used for “very well-structured detention facilities meeting our regular detention standards,” projecting it could bring almost 10,000 jobs to the area.
- ICE did not respond to Axios’ request for further information.
The big picture: The warehouse purchase reflects ICE’s $45 billion strategy to increase detention capacity nationwide by buying and converting commercial properties into holding sites.
- The agency has already purchased warehouses in Arizona, Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Texas and other states.
- Communities across the country have pushed back against the centers with varying success, arguing the conditions are inhumane and that local infrastructure can’t support them.
Catch up quick: Rumors swirled in January that ICE was eyeing a vacant warehouse in Salt Lake City for a 7,500-bed facility.
- Amid protests and community backlash, the building’s owner said they had no plans to sell or lease the building to the federal government.
- Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson called on Utahns Friday to “summon that same resolve again.”
What they’re saying: In a statement, Mendenhall said “a detention center does not belong in our capital city — full stop.”
- “The use of a warehouse facility for this purpose is also wholly outside the scope of our available resources and zoning allowances,” she added.
- A spokesperson for Mendenhall told Axios the city first became aware of the sale on Thursday.
Reality check: The federal government is not bound by local zoning laws, meaning cities have limited legal tools to fight back…