The Research Commons Building at 12249 Science Drive on Wednesday. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is looking at leasing the space, according to documents obtained by WIRED.
Izabella Siwik
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement may be looking to lease an office building less than three miles from UCF’s main campus.
According to documents obtained in a recent WIRED article, the Research Commons building at 12249 Science Drive is a part of several leases requested by ICE. It is unclear how the agency intends to utilize the space.
The office is in proximity to apartment complexes where students reside, including The Village at Science Drive, The Nine at UCF and Knights Landing. The surrounding area in Research Park contains off-campus labs and facilities that students are faculty often use.
This comes shortly after ICE doubled its workforce in January, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
David Venturella, ICE senior advisor, toured a 44,000 square feet warehouse off State Road 528 near the Orlando International Airport in January, according to The Washington Post. Research Commons is 20 miles away from the warehouse. Orange County commissioners discussed on Tuesday potentially blocking the possible use of the warehouse.
The office is currently home to several other companies that serve the federal government, including Advanced Systems Technology Inc., an Oklahoma-based military subcontractor with an Orlando office, and StraCon Services Group, which supports the U.S. Department of Defense with a broad range of services.
This is a developing story and will be updated as information becomes available. Check back for updates.