Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall sent a letter to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials on Tuesday, requesting an audience with federal leaders over their recently acquired property, which they reportedly intend to turn into an immigration detention facility.
“While we are seeking additional information about the ultimate intended use for this building, a large-scale detention facility is inappropriate for this location and does not have the support of Salt Lake City officials,” Mendenhall wrote in her letter to ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons.
She also forwarded the letter to Utah’s congressional leaders.
Last week, ICE purchased a warehouse structure on Salt Lake City’s west side for $145.44 million — sparking immediate backlash from the Utah Democratic Party, and Utah Senate and House Democrats.
Even Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, said that converting the warehouse into a detention facility without local leadership on board “is shortsighted and likely counterproductive to supporting the strategic growth and long-term infrastructure plans of Salt Lake City’s west side,” as he told the Deseret News in a statement. “Local voices need to be provided a seat at the table, particularly as it relates to community impact studies and evaluations moving forward.”
In her letter, Mendenhall highlighted the following zoning concerns with the potential immigration facility and how it would negatively impact Salt Lake City:
- Sewer and water systems are not built for high-occupancy use.
- Likely need for expensive off-site infrastructure upgrades.
- Increased traffic and strain on roads and rail systems.
She also noted that because the building is not federally owned, and therefore not tax-exempt, local taxing bodies would forfeit over $1 million annually in property tax revenue.
Her greatest concern, the letter said, is that of public safety.
Emergency responders are already at service capacity, she said. “A large-scale detention facility could create additional strain on our public safety teams by diverting officers, first responders, and other needed safety resources away from our residents and businesses. It is imperative that we know how DHS plans to staff, secure and protect the facility from a public safety perspective as well as fire prevention/response and emergency medical services.”
If the detention center continues its progress, Mendenhall said it would take away the priorities of her public safety plan and “divert much-needed resources away from addressing homelessness challenges, preventing crime, and responding to calls for mental health and substance abuse concerns.”
An ICE spokesperson said in a statement obtained by Deseret News that it should not come as a shock that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is expanding its detention centers across the country to “keep Americans safe.”
They also said that federal officials will carefully study how the facility would affect the surrounding community to ensure no local resources are strained.
“The Salt Lake City facility and its construction are expected to bring 9,893 jobs to the area and would contribute $1.1 billion to GDP. It’s also projected to bring in more than $238.7 million in tax revenue,” the statement said.
“These economic benefits don’t even take into account that removing criminals from the streets makes communities safer for business owners and customers,” the statement continued. “ICE is targeting criminal illegal aliens including murderers, rapists, pedophiles, gang members and more. 70% of ICE arrests are of illegal aliens charged or convicted of a crime in the U.S. Thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill, ICE has new funding to expand detention space to keep these criminals off American streets before they are removed for good from our communities.”
Mendenhall is requesting a response for a meeting by March 27.