DHS abandons plans for Salt Lake City immigration detention center

Federal officials have officially abandoned plans to convert a Salt Lake City warehouse into an immigration detention center. According to court filings submitted Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) informed local leaders in July that it no longer intends to use the facility for that purpose.

Instead, the DHS plans to designate the warehouse, located at 6020 W. 300 South, as excess property for disposition by the General Services Administration (GSA). The facility was originally purchased by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for $145.44 million in March 2026.

The reversal comes amid a lawsuit filed in June by Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County, which sought to block the conversion. The local governments had argued that federal officials failed to follow proper procedures in designating the site. Both city and federal attorneys have now requested a 60-day stay to pause the legal proceedings following the decision to offload the property.