Massive Dallas-area warehouse will not be used as an ICE detention center, developer says

The owners of a million-square-foot warehouse outside of Dallas said in a statement Monday they would not sell or lease the building to U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. 

Leaders and citizens of the small city of Hutchins have been on edge in recent weeks after The Washington Post, Bloomberg and other news outlets reported that the warehouse was among about two dozen nationwide that the Department of Homeland Security identified to possibly convert into detention centers for tens of thousands of people detained in immigration enforcement operations. A detention facility in the Hutchins warehouse could reportedly hold up 10,000 people, dwarfing the city’s population of 6,000.

The warehouse is located along I-45 about 12 miles southeast of Downtown Dallas.

The Hutchins City Council heard from concerned residents earlier this month, with Mayor Mario Vasquez saying that the federal government had not contacted the city or attempted to obtain any necessary permits. A group of state and local officials also held a news conference decrying the reported plans.

There were even rumors that the warehouse had already been sold. Concerns among residents persisted, even as the DHS said there were no new detention centers to announce.

On Monday, Majestic Realty Co. confirmed in a statement to CBS News Texas that it had been “contacted about the potential sale” of the building but the company “has not and will not enter into any agreement for the purchase or lease of any building to the Department of Homeland Security for use as a detention facility.”

“We’re grateful for the long-term relationship we have with Mayor Mario Vasquez and the City of Hutchins and look forward to continuing our work to find a buyer or lease tenant that will help drive economic growth,” the statement said.