Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has purchased a massive warehouse in Salt Lake City for about 145 million dollars. According to property records cited by KUER, the federal government bought an 833-thousand square-foot building on about 25 acres in the Mountain View Industrial Park, west of the airport and south of Interstate 80.
The purchase comes after protests earlier this year, when many Utahns pushed back against the possibility of a large immigration detention center in the region. That earlier controversy centered on a different building, but this new purchase is already raising fresh questions about what the facility could eventually be used for.
Local leaders are responding quickly. In a statement to KUER, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said “this kind of facility has no place in Salt Lake City.” Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson also said she was deeply disturbed by the reported purchase and urged the community to remain engaged.
KUER also reports that ICE has been searching for a location in Utah for some time, and the agency has been acquiring large warehouse-style properties around the country as detention numbers increase.
Click here for KUER reporting.
La nueva compra de un almacén por parte de ICE genera preocupación en Salt Lake City
Según KUER, en un reportaje de Macy Lipkin, el gobierno federal compró un enorme almacén en Salt Lake City por 145 millones de dólares. El edificio tiene más de 830 mil pies cuadrados y está cerca del aeropuerto. Líderes locales, incluyendo la alcaldesa Erin Mendenhall, han expresado preocupación sobre la posibilidad de que el lugar se utilice como centro de detención migratoria.