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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is in talks to buy a Virginia warehouse owned by British Columbia billionaire Jim Pattison, with plans to turn it into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing facility.
In a Jan. 21 letter to officials in Hanover County, Va., the Department of Homeland Security shared its intent to “purchase, occupy and rehabilitate” the roughly 550,000-square-foot warehouse property, which has been owned by Jim Pattison Developments since 2022.
“As part of the undertaking, ICE may conduct exterior and interior modifications to the existing warehouse facility,” the letter said, including the “construction of holding and processing spaces.”
Pattison is a businessman and philanthropist whose conglomerate the Jim Pattison Group spans various sectors including real estate, automotive, media and retail.
The Jim Pattison Group and Jim Pattison Developments did not immediately return requests for comment.
The potential deal has sparked anger and disapproval, including from the leader of the B.C. Green Party who is now calling for a boycott of Pattison’s Save-on-Foods grocery stores.
Pattison, a businessman and philanthropist, has owned the roughly 550,000-square-foot warehouse property since 2022. (Kyle Bakx/CBC)Canadian companies face criticism
Pattison is the latest Canadian company to face criticism over associations with ICE.
As reported by The Globe and Mail, Vancouver tech company Hootsuite secured a $95,000 US pilot project with ICE in September that involves monitoring social media discussions about the immigration agency.
ICE has also earmarked millions of dollars for a bulk order of 20 armoured vehicles from Brampton, Ont.-based defence manufacturer Roshel.
Amid ICE’s expansive immigration crackdown that has seen federal agents shoot and kill two American citizens in Minneapolis, Minn., one business ethics expert says companies need to be clear about where they draw the line on who they do business with, or else they risk tanking staff morale and public opinion.
“If I were a CEO, I wouldn’t want my name or my company’s name, my brand, associated with what’s going on in the States right now,” said Chris MacDonald, an associate professor in the law and business department at Toronto Metropolitan University.
“There’s just a plain ethical issue. There’s a question of right and wrong and whether it’s right for a company, or for anyone, to be contributing, even in a small way, to the activities that are going on.”
WATCH | Minnesotans protest ICE crackdown:
Minnesotans hold ‘economic blackout’ to protest ICE crackdown
People across Minnesota took part in an ‘economic blackout’ action on Friday to protest a federal immigration crackdown in parts of the state. Hundreds of businesses closed for the day and organizers urged people not to work or go to school.
In a social media video viewed over 80,000 times on TikTok alone, B.C. Green Party leader Emily Lowan called on Pattison to sever ties with ICE and encouraged people to boycott his grocery stores.
“As we stare down what is increasingly the fascist and possible civil war unfolding in the United States, I think as Canadians we need to be crystal clear about who is driving, who’s contributing to the crises we’re facing and how we can step up and take real actions,” Lowan said in an interview with CBC News.
Thousands of ICE officers have been deployed in the U.S., including in Minneapolis and Maine, under a mass deportation campaign that has been met with fierce criticism and resistance from local politicians and residents and heightened fear in immigrant communities.
Michael Berdan, a resident of Hanover County, Va., strongly opposes Pattison’s warehouse there being turned into a facility for ICE. (Submitted by Michael Berdan)
Michael Berdan, a lawyer and resident of Hanover County involved in immigration advocacy, says he strongly opposes the idea of an ICE facility in his community and says it undermines Pattison’s philanthropic efforts. Pattison is known for his large donations to Canadian medical facilities.
“A deal advancing fear and family separation inherent in immigration detention would stand in stark contrast to these principles,” he told CBC News.
“And I think a lot of my neighbours, regardless of political differences, will recognize that this is not the best use for the county.”
The Hanover County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to discuss the potential purchase of the warehouse on Wednesday, Jan. 28. The Department of Homeland Security has also invited several tribes to participate in a consultation.