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<\/p>\nThe Trump administration is ramping up its purchases\u00a0of warehouses to use as detention facilities, with two big\u00a0deals closing in Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n
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U.S.\u00a0Immigration and Customs Enforcement<\/a>\u00a0spent $87.4M on a 520K SF warehouse in Berks County in a deal that closed Monday,\u00a0Spotlight PA first reported<\/a>. The facility at 3501 Mountain Road in Upper Bern Township could accommodate up to 1,500 beds.<\/p>\n Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security\u00a0spent almost $120M on a building\u00a0owned by a Blue Owl Capital affiliate\u00a0in nearby Tremont Township,\u00a0Bloomberg reported Wednesday<\/a>.\u00a0It plans to use it as an ICE facility that could\u00a0potentially house 7,500 people.<\/p>\n The deals are part of a nationwide push\u00a0from ICE, which is eyeing\u00a0facilities at 23 sites,\u00a0Bloomberg reported<\/a>\u00a0last week. The largest \u2014 outside Dallas in Hutchins, Texas \u2014 could hold up to 9,500 detainees.<\/p>\n The agency\u2019s real estate moves have\u00a0garnered protests nationwide amid ICE\u2019s controversial crackdown in Minneapolis.<\/p>\n That included demonstrations in Tremont and Hagerstown, Maryland. U.S. Sen.\u00a0Chris Van Hollen<\/a>, a Democrat from Maryland, spoke to protesters Jan. 20, calling the agency’s operations \u201cobscene\u201d and \u201cinhumane\u201d and saying he doesn’t want an ICE facility in the state.\u00a0<\/p>\n A pair of Republican Pennsylvania state\u00a0lawmakers\u00a0representing the Berks County area \u2014\u00a0State Sen. Chris Gebhard and Rep. Jamie Barton \u2014 said they contacted federal agencies for more information on the plans.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOur immediate concerns include the potential loss of property tax revenue for the host municipality, county, and school district, as well as security and perimeter considerations,\u201d they said in a joint statement to Spotlight PA.<\/p>\n An ICE spokesperson defended the agency\u2019s actions in a statement provided to Spotlight PA.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill, ICE has new funding to expand detention space to keep these criminals off American streets before they are removed for good from our communities,\u201d the spokesperson\u00a0said.<\/p>\n The agency has also\u00a0been in talks to purchase<\/a>\u00a0a 324K SF warehouse in Merrimack, New Hampshire, owned by Trammell Crow Co. and\u00a0Diamond Realty Investments<\/a>.<\/p>\n While some sales to ICE have gone through despite pushback,\u00a0other owners have backed out<\/a>.<\/p>\n