Department of Homeland Security purchases SLC warehouse for $145 million

SALT LAKE CITY — Records show the Department of Homeland Security completed a multi-million dollar purchase of a Salt Lake City warehouse this week, although what it will be used for is not clear.

A deed obtained by FOX 13 News shows the agency closed the deal Wednesday and paid $145 million for the property located just west of Salt Lake City International Airport.

The purchase comes weeks after leaked documents claimed DHS was set to open an ICE facility inside another warehouse in the vicinity of the one purchased this week. Over the last few months, ICE has purchased other large buildings and warehouses across the country, with the intent to house those taken into custody by the agency.

FOX 13 News found public records showing it had been owned by a subsidiary of Deutsch Bank who sold it to ICE.

The new Salt Lake City facility purchased by DHS at 6020 West 300 South would appear to need to be retrofitted to become a place where people would be held.

A statement from Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall's office said they were evaluating the same and gathering more information.

"Mayor Mendenhall has made it clear that this kind of facility has no place in Salt Lake City," the statement read.

Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson also shared a stern message opposing any ICE facility being built in the area.

"This time the obstacles may be greater, but our commitment must be just as strong. We cannot allow aggressive and often unlawful federal enforcement tactics to take root in our community," Wilson said. "The idea of 7,500 detainees being held in the heart of our capital city is simply unacceptable and must never be realized.”

Salt Lake City councilmember Eva Lopez Chavez, who is running as a Democratic candidate for Utah's 1st Congressional District, called for an investigation into the sale.

"Our congressional leaders owe Utah families answers," Lopez Chavez wrote in a statement. "How many people will be detained here? Under what conditions? And why were Utah residents not informed before this deal was closed?"

The NAACP Salt Lake Branch commented with the following statement:

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) expresses deep concern regarding the recent purchase by the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of the warehouse located at 6020 West 300 South for $145 million, with plans to convert the site into a detention center intended to accelerate deportations.

This proposed facility raises urgent and serious concerns for communities across Utah, particularly for residents of Salt Lake City. A detention center designed to rapidly process deportations risks creating a system that prioritizes detention first and questions later, an approach that has too often resulted in civil rights violations, family separation, and the erosion of due process.

Without clear safeguards, transparency, and community oversight, immigrant families in our state face an uncertain and vulnerable future. Utah’s immigrant communities are an integral part of our neighborhoods, workplaces, and schools. Policies that expand detention infrastructure without adequate protections threaten the dignity, safety, and rights of those who call this state home.

The NAACP does not support this action by DHS. We call on federal officials to provide full transparency about the intended use of this facility and to ensure that any enforcement actions respect civil rights, due process, and the humanity of every person in our community.

The NAACP remains committed to advocating for policies that uphold justice, fairness, and the fundamental rights guaranteed to all people.

The Utah Democratic Party has also released the following statement:

The Department of Homeland Security’s $145 million purchase of a warehouse in Salt Lake City, with no clear explanation, raises serious concerns for our community and the families who call this city home.

Immigrants are a vital part of Utah’s strength. They are our neighbors, friends, and families, building community, raising children, and enriching the places we all call home.

We strongly oppose any effort to use facilities in our city to scale up immigration detention or deportation operations. We call on federal officials to immediately disclose their plans and abandon any proposal that would put Utah communities, and the hardworking families who sustain them, at risk. Salt Lake City deserves honesty, accountability, and respect - not secret projects that threaten the safety and trust of our neighborhoods.

The Utah Senate and House Democrats also condemn the purchase with the following statement:

“The news that the Department of Homeland Security has purchased a 25-acre property in Salt Lake City is deeply disturbing and alarming. Today is a bleak day for our state. Those who have been watching what has unfolded across the country know that an ICE detention facility does not exist in isolation. These centers arrive with massive enforcement operations that tear through communities, and the conditions that exist within these centers are violent and inhumane. We will do everything in our power to defend the constitutional and due process rights of all those who call Utah home. While we firmly oppose an ICE detention infrastructure anywhere in our state, it is particularly alarming that this facility will sit in the heart of one of Utah’s most diverse communities.

“Life as we know it on the West Side is about to change dramatically, and many families will now live under constant terror. This is a defining moment for our state, and we are confident that Utah will come together to stand up for what is right. We call upon faith leaders, nonprofit organizations, the philanthropic community, advocates, and local and state leaders to come together and prepare for what is about to unfold. We call on our neighbors across Utah to come together and be the Utah we all know by protecting each other and standing up for the dignity and rights of every person.”

The Salt Lake City Council has released the following statement:

We are aware that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has purchased a property in Salt Lake City. We are working to understand the agency’s plans for the site and the impacts on the surrounding community. Transparency about the purpose and potential impacts of this facility is essential.

Our neighbors—no matter where they were born—deserve safety, dignity and the opportunity to thrive. News like this undermines those goals for our community. Salt Lake City stands for inclusion and belonging. We are pressing for answers, considering our options and closely watching how this affects nearby neighborhoods.

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