By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH<\/p>\n
More than 20 towns with large warehouses<\/a> have become stealth targets for Immigration and Customs Enforcement\u2019s $45 billion expansion of detention centers<\/a>. Some communities complain that ICE isn\u2019t telling them anything until after it has purchased space for thousands of detainees. In some cases, warehouse owners are refusing to sell. <\/p>\n A look at some of the locations:<\/p>\n Arizona<\/p>\n Local officials were told nothing before ICE purchased a 418,000-square-foot (38,833-square-meter) warehouse in the Phoenix suburb of Surprise for $70 million, the state\u2019s top prosecutor, Kris Mayes, said in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.<\/p>\n Documents<\/a> later provided by ICE said the Department of Homeland Security estimates it will spend $150 million retrofitting the facility into a 1,500-bed processing site.<\/p>\n Florida<\/p>\n A TV reporter<\/a> in Orlando spotted private contractors and federal officials last month touring a 439,945-square-foot (40,872-square-meter) industrial warehouse. ICE senior adviser David Venturella told a WFTV reporter the tour was \u201cexploratory.\u201d <\/p>\n Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said in a statement that the city hasn\u2019t been contacted by the federal government and that it has no legal options to stop a possible ICE facility. <\/p>\n Georgia <\/p>\n ICE bought a massive warehouse in Social Circle for $128.6 million. The city said<\/a> it has been informed that the facility is expected to house from 7,500 to 10,000 detainees and will be constructed using a modular design so that capacity can be scaled up or down as needed. <\/p>\n Plans also are in the works to convert a warehouse in Oakwood into an ICE processing facility, Republican U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde said in a statement, although no deed has been filed. City Manager B.R. White said his first inkling that a deal was imminent came when a warehouse supervisor told a city inspector he\u2019d been instructed to clear the job site to make way for the new owners \u2014 the federal government. <\/p>\n Indiana<\/p>\n After the town of Merrillville raised concerns about ICE touring a new 275,000-square-foot (25,548-square-meter) warehouse, owner Opus Holding LLC sent a letter stating it isn\u2019t negotiating<\/a> with federal officials for the property. The letter said Opus was limited in what it could share because of legal issues. <\/p>\n Maryland<\/p>\n ICE purchased a warehouse about 60 miles (96 kilometers) northwest of Baltimore for $102.4 million, a deed signed last month shows. The deed was unearthed by Project Salt Box<\/a>, a Maryland ICE watchdog. <\/p>\n Officials in Washington County said in a Facebook post<\/a> that DHS notified them beforehand that it was considering purchasing the warehouse for use as a \u201cnew ICE Baltimore Processing Facility.\u201d County commissioners later passed a resolution<\/a> in support of ICE activities.<\/p>\n Michigan<\/p>\n ICE announced its purchase of a facility in Romulus after the deal was completed. The city responded in a Facebook<\/a> post that officials were concerned about the \u201clack of prior notification.\u201d<\/p>\n Minnesota<\/p>\n The owners of warehouses in the Minneapolis suburbs of Woodbury and Shakopee pulled out of possible ICE deals after public outcry, according to local officials.<\/p>\n Mississippi<\/p>\n Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker posted<\/a> that Noem agreed to look elsewhere after local elected and zoning officials opposed a possible detention center in the town of Byhalia. <\/p>\n Missouri<\/p>\n After weeks of public pressure, development company Platform Ventures announced it would not move forward with the sale of a massive warehouse in Kansas City. <\/p>\n New Hampshire<\/p>\n Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte sparred with federal officials after ICE disclosed plans to spend $158 million to convert a warehouse in Merrimack into a 500-bed processing center.<\/p>\n The issue came to a head when interim ICE Director Todd Lyons testified that DHS \u201chas worked with Gov. Ayotte\u201d and provided her with an economic impact summary. <\/p>\n Ayotte said<\/a> the assertion was \u201csimply not true.\u201d She said the summary was sent hours after Lyons testified. The document erroneously refers to the \u201cripple effects to the Oklahoma economy\u201d and revenue generated by state sales and income taxes, neither of which exist in New Hampshire. <\/p>\n New Jersey <\/p>\n Roxbury said Friday that ICE had closed on the sale of a warehouse despite it offering tax abatements to the owner to stop the purchase. <\/p>\n No property documents were yet available online showing the price of the sale. The announcement came just two days after ICE said it had made a \u201cmistake\u201d when it previously announced the purchase. <\/p>\n \u201cLet us be clear: Roxbury Township will not passively accept this outcome,\u201d the mayor and city council wrote in a news release.<\/p>\n New York<\/p>\n ICE said Tuesday it made a mistake when it announced the purchase of a vacant warehouse in Chester. New York state Assemblyman Brian Maher said Friday that ICE is no longer considering the facility. <\/p>\n Oklahoma<\/p>\n