ICE's purchases for big detention centers are marked by secrecy, frustrating towns

"In a Texas town at the edge of the Rio Grande and a tall metal border wall, rumors swirled that federal immigration officials wanted to purchase three hulking warehouses to transform into a detention center. As local officials scrambled to find out what was happening, a deed was filed showing the Department of Homeland Security had already inked a $122.8 million deal for the 826,000-square-foot (76,738-square-meter) warehouses in Socorro, a bedroom community of 40,000 people outside El Paso."

""Nobody from the federal government bothered to pick up the phone or even send us any type of correspondence letting us know what's about to take place," said Rudy Cruz Jr., the mayor of the predominantly Hispanic town of low-slung ranch homes and trailer parks, where orchards and irrigation ditches share the landscape with strip malls, truck stops, recycling plants and distribution warehouses."

"Socorro is among at least 20 communities with large warehouses across the U.S. that have become stealth targets for Immigration and Customs Enforcement's $45-billion expansion of detention centers. As public support for the agency and President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown sags, communities are objecting to mass detentions and raising concerns that the facilities could strain water supplies and other services while reducing local tax revenue."

Immigration and Customs Enforcement purchased at least seven warehouses in Arizona, Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Texas, according to signed deeds. A $122.8 million deal acquired 826,000 square feet of warehouse space in Socorro, Texas. Local officials in Socorro and other communities often learned about purchases only after deeds were filed. Residents and elected leaders expressed anger and concern about lack of notification and potential strains on water, services and local tax revenue. ICE's acquisitions are part of a reported $45-billion expansion of detention centers. Some communities worry purchases were made quietly to avoid opposition.

Read at Boston.com