Salt Lake City's $145 Million ICE Warehouse Hangs in Limbo After Noem Firing

The Department of Homeland Security is reviewing whether to move forward with a proposed "mega" detention center in Salt Lake City after new Secretary Markwayne Mullin paused warehouse purchases executed under his predecessor, the fired Kristi Noem.

But here's the catch: ICE already finalized the purchase of the Salt Lake City warehouse on March 8 -- three days after Noem got canned -- for $145.4 million. That's the highest price tag federal officials have paid for any warehouse in the Trump administration's $45 billion detention expansion spree.

Now nobody knows what happens next.

DHS offered only vague reassurances when asked about the warehouse's status, pointing to a statement about "reviewing agency policies and proposals" and promising to "work with community leaders." The Atlantic reported Tuesday that Mullin ordered a pause on conversion plans for the Salt Lake City warehouse and 10 others "seeking to defuse backlash from local jurisdictions."

Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall told Utah News Dispatch she's grateful the project doesn't appear to be "full steam ahead" but remains uncertain about its fate. "We're doing everything that we can -- at every angle we can -- to try to convey why this is not an appropriate place for any ICE facility," she said.

Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson went further, sending a letter to Mullin on Friday urging him to "abandon" the proposed center entirely. She outlined concerns about infrastructure capacity, public safety, staffing, and economic impact -- noting the warehouse sits in the heart of a logistics corridor where state leaders have invested heavily to build Utah's import-export potential.

"Introducing a detention facility of this scale risks undermining that vision and weakening a sector foundational to our regional economy," Wilson wrote. She also questioned whether the facility could even handle the reported capacity of up to 10,000 detainees.

The deal itself remains murky. The entity that sold the warehouse, RREEF CPIF 6020 W 300 S LLC, is registered in Delaware and tied to a fund managed by DWS Group, a Deutsche Bank subsidiary. Representatives from both companies haven't responded to requests for comment.

Not everyone opposes the project. Republican state Rep. Matt MacPherson, who represents the district where the warehouse sits, said he's "only heard positive things from constituents" and sees the center as a way to free up space in Utah's prisons and jails. He's heading to Washington next week with fellow GOP lawmakers to discuss the facility with Trump administration officials.

MacPherson previously noted that ICE lacks dedicated detention space in Utah and contracts with jails to hold some detainees -- a practice restricted under current state law.

The warehouse sits in the Utah Inland Port Authority's jurisdiction, where semitrailers and UPS trucks already create constant traffic. Local officials warn that adding a facility designed to detain thousands of people would strain roads, utilities, and public services in an area meant to serve as a trade hub.

Whether the pause becomes permanent or just a temporary speed bump remains unclear. DHS hasn't responded to follow-up questions about the warehouse's specific status, leaving Salt Lake City officials in limbo while they fight to stop a detention center they never wanted in the first place.