Overview
- DHS/ICE posted a public market-research notice seeking 249 contiguous parking spaces in Boston’s central business district with 3–5 year lease terms, and officials say the step is for information-gathering, not a final decision.
- The Boston request is one of 14 city solicitations nationwide and is the second-largest after a 250-space request in Englewood, Colorado, with Boston the only Northeast city on the list.
- Proposals are due imminently and, if enough property owners respond, DHS could issue a formal solicitation and evaluate leases over the coming months, a process that could place ICE vehicles in city parking as early as next year.
- Boston officials and state leaders have signaled opposition to expanding ICE activity downtown, citing the city’s 2025 ban on ICE use of municipal property and recent state steps to limit local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
- The move raises local concerns about a larger visible ICE footprint—advocates have reported unregistered vehicles near ICE’s Burlington field office—and could prompt legal, political and community pushback if the market-research phase advances to binding leases.