ICE Wants to Transform an SLC Warehouse into an Immigration Jailhouse

Published March 31, 2026 at 3:55 PM MDT

The building at 6020 W 300 S in Salt Lake City that the federal government purchased. March 12, 2026.

U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement recently purchased a warehouse on Salt Lake City’s west side, but the agency doesn’t intend to use the site for goods or merchandise: It will be a detention facility, part of the agency’s efforts to round up and deport a million people every year.

ICE failed to inform any local lawmakers prior to buying the warehouse. They didn’t even notify the state’s all-GOP congressional delegation of their plans. Agency leadership has since told Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall that the warehouse will serve to jail between 7,500 and 10,000 people, and the mayor has vowed to do everything within her power to stop it. There are a lot of questions swirling around the facility, and journalists Jose Davila IV and Nick Miroff join us to share what they’ve learned about ICE’s effort to reengineer warehouses into jailhouses.

GUESTS

Jose Davila IV is a reporter for the Salt Lake Tribune covering Salt Lake City's west side communities.
Nick Miroff is a staff writer at The Atlantic who covers immigration, the Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S.-Mexico border.

Airdate: April 2 and 4, 2026