ICE Will No Longer Use Socorro Warehouses, Scraps Detention Center Plans
The site will be sold after plans for 8,500 detainees drew widespread objections over water, utilities and local services, officials said.
- On Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, U.S. Congresswoman Veronica Escobar announced that the Department of Homeland Security transferred three Socorro, Texas, warehouses to the General Services Administration for sale, ending ICE detention facility plans.
- Community leaders and residents in Socorro argued the mega-facility would strain limited water, wastewater, and emergency infrastructure for the city's 30,000 residents, triggering months of intense local opposition that led to the reversal.
- Purchased for $123 million in February 2026, the site was part of a $1 billion initiative to convert 11 warehouse complexes nationwide into detention centers under the prior administration's mass deportation policies.
- "Today is a really great day," El Paso County Commissioner Iliana Holguin said, noting the decision allows Socorro to pursue economic development opportunities instead of hosting a massive detention site.
- While abandoning this site, the DHS is actively seeking bids for 5,500 total beds in Seattle, Philadelphia, Miami, and Denver regions, continuing its push to expand national detention capacity.
13 Articles
13 Articles
DHS abandons plans for massive ICE detention center, will sell warehouses
U.S. Rep Veronica Escobar announced the sale of three Socorro warehouses initially planned for ICE detention, effectively ending their use for immigrant detention and shifting them to the General Services Administration for sale.
DHS wanted to build the largest ICE detention complex in the US. Here’s how the plan just got killed.
(RNS, EL PASO MATTERS) — Catholic parishes and other community groups in Socorro, Texas, organized against the sprawling $126 million complex. They cited moral objections and warned that the town's infrastructure couldn't support it.
DHS Scraps Plans for Massive Deportation Center
(WBAP/KLIF) — DHS scraps plans for mega ICE detention center in Socorro. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security plans to sell three warehouses in El Paso County originally planned for conversion into detention centers for immigrants awaiting deportation. U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar says The move is part of a strategy to sell warehouses purchased during former Secretary Kristi Noem’s tenure. The warehouses will be transferred to the U.S. General…
ICE will no longer use Socorro warehouses, scraps detention center plans
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Tuesday, U.S. Congresswoman Veronica Escobar announced some Socorro, Texas, warehouses bought by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will instead go to the U.S. General Services Administration. "I’m pleased to announce that the Department of Homeland Security has transferred the Socorro warehouses to the General Services Administration (GSA). This means the The post ICE will no longer use Socorro warehouses, scraps…
DHS plans to utilize existing detention space after Socorro warehouse transfer
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) -- The Department of Homeland Security defended its approach to immigration detention following the announcement that warehouses in Socorro will no longer be used as a federal detention facility. A DHS spokesperson said the agency remains focused on removing what it described as the "worst of the worst" criminal illegal aliens [...]
DHS scraps plans for mega ICE detention center in Socorro, to sell warehouse properties
The Trump administration is scrapping plans to convert a nearly 1 million square-foot Socorro warehouse complex into an immigration detention center and training center for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, said Tuesday. The complex originally was envisioned as the largest immigration detention facility in the country. Escobar said in a statement that the Department of Homeland Security has transferred …
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