Overview
- In a statement Monday, Mayor Erin Mendenhall said ICE told her Salt Lake City will host a “mega” detention hub holding 7,500 to 10,000 people.
- ICE expects to start work in the weeks and months ahead at a 24.9-acre warehouse site west of the airport that includes an 833,000-square-foot building.
- The agency told the city it would consult the fire marshal on building issues but offered no broader local review and gave no data on traffic, utilities, or environmental impacts.
- City leaders moved to cap water use for new projects for 180 days and warned of strain on roads and sewers, while protests grew and Gov. Spencer Cox voiced support for the plan.
- A February ICE memo outlines a national hub-and-spoke expansion with eight large centers and 16 processing sites and sets a Nov. 30, 2026 activation target to add 92,600 beds.