SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, March 18, 2026 (Gephardt Daily) — Where is Gov. Cox? And what are his thoughts about the abruptly revealed plans for a massive new multimillion-dollar ICE detention center being planned for Salt Lake City?
Those were the questions being posed Tuesday afternoon during a peaceful protest in front of the Cox family’s official residence at the Historic Governor’s Mansion, located on South Temple, where about 100 demonstrators gathered, singing songs and carrying signs while waving and pumping fists at the steady stream of passing drivers who honked and waved back in support.
While reaction from Utah’s Democratic leaders was fast and furious–and now includes an open letter from Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall to acting ICE boss Todd M. Lyons requesting a meeting no later than Friday with federal officials—the state’s Republican leaders have remained mute. The only notable exception is a statement released Tuesday by U.S. Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, in which he called “the decision to move forward with this facility via back-door negotiations—bypassing input from local leaders—shortsighted and likely counterproductive.”
Photo: Gephardt Daily/Patrick Benedict
The surprising news of the proposed 830,000-square-foot detention center, to be housed inside a sprawling warehouse at 6020 W. 300 South, southwest of Salt Lake International Airport, was first published locally Thursday by Fox 13’s investigative unit. The new facility is located about three miles from a previously proposed warehouse site that was first making headlines in January. That project died on the vine after local real estate developers at the Ritchie Group appeared to bow to public and political pressure to forgo the deal.
Property records filed with the Salt Lake County recorder’s office reveal the purchase of the mammoth warehouse facility was by the Department of Homeland Security for $145.4 million from a Delaware registered LLC.
Subsequent reporting by the Salt Lake Tribune connected the sale to Deutsche Bank.
The DHS budget approved by the Republican controlled Congress in 2025 provides $45 billion for the building and expansion of detention centers through 2029. A total of $3.8 billion of that is earmarked for 2026 and is already fueling ICE’s acquisition of warehouse facilities, like the one in Salt Lake City, across the U.S.
Photo: Gephardt Daily/Patrick Benedict
Protesters react at Governor’s Mansion demonstration
Protester Tammy Ames said she believes Cox’s and other GOP leaders’ silence speaks louder than words.
“They’re silent,” Ames said, referring to Cox and Sen. Mike Lee. “They know what they did. They’ve done this. They’re working with him (Trump). Ever since Spencer Cox went to Mar-a-Lago for that big old luncheon, we have been paying the price. Utah has been paying the price.”
Demonstrator Diane Crim, a recently retired Salt Lake City area math teacher, told Gephardt Daily she was also surprised by the news, which she didn’t learn from state leaders but discovered in a Substack post.
“The fact that this purchase seems to have circumnavigated our local leaders, it would be crucial to know what Governor Cox knows and more importantly thinks about this unfortunate development,” Crim said.
“I have had the opportunity to work with students and families who have immigrated to the United States. It has been an honor to be a part of their journey to build a life here in Salt Lake,” Crim said. “When I heard on Project Salt Box that an industrial building in Salt Lake had been purchased as a place to warehouse humans, I was devastated, and then motivated to find any way I could to object to this travesty. Today’s protest is an excellent opportunity to find others who cannot sit by and watch this inhumane disaster happen in our community.”
Protester Marv Poulson also expressed concern over what he felt was Cox’s conspicuous silence and hoped Utahns voicing their strong opinions can make a difference.
“I care about our democracy and treating people decently,” he told Gephardt Daily. “There’s no reason to have these detention centers that are so humongous and detaining people who should never be there. It just happened across the country.”
Cox’s previous position
While Cox has not responded to requests from local news organizations about the surprise ICE announcement, he has previously expressed support for an ICE transfer facility, not only in Utah, but in every state.
“We love to have a holding facility here and we have made several offers to make that easier so there isn’t a backlog when it comes to transportation,” Cox said during a monthly press conference.
The governor repeated his support for a Utah-based ICE facility in January in an interview with FOX 13 when the first warehouse deal was making headlines, but said he was unaware that deal was in the making.
Utah Democrats react to ICE warehouse purchase
Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson was the first notable Utah political leader to voice their opposition to the planned detention center.
“I am deeply disturbed to learn that an 833,000-square-foot warehouse near the Salt Lake City airport has reportedly been purchased by the federal government for what would likely become a massive ICE detention facility,” Wilson said in a formal statement.
“When a similar warehouse proposal surfaced previously, Utahns from across the political spectrum—people of different backgrounds and beliefs—came together to stop it. We must summon that same resolve again.
“This time the obstacles may be greater, but our commitment must be just as strong. We cannot allow aggressive and often unlawful federal enforcement tactics to take root in our community,” Wilson said.
“The idea of 7,500 detainees being held in the heart of our capital city is simply unacceptable and must never be realized.”
Wednesday, Wilson penned an editorial for the Deseret News, which she shared with Gephardt Daily.
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall released a full statement Friday of last week.
“Let me be clear. A detention center does not belong in our capital city—full stop.
“The mass detention of people inside a warehouse is inhumane and is contradictory to the function, values and desires of Salt Lakers, and I will use every tool at the City’s disposal to stop it,” Mendenhall wrote.
“I’ve directed our attorneys to look at possible legal interventions as we work with our federal and state partners.
“But to put it plainly, the use of a warehouse facility for this purpose is also wholly outside the scope of our available resources and zoning allowances.
“We’re conducting a thorough and swift evaluation of utility infrastructure, among many other aspects, as to why we cannot have a facility of this kind here.
“Utah’s capital city—settled 175 years ago by pioneers seeking safe refuge—is not the place, nor does it have the capacity, to host the state prison, a homelessness campus and a federal ICE detention center so closely congregated.”
Salt Lake County Council Democratic Caucus Statement on ICE Detention Facility
“The Democratic members of the Salt Lake County Council are unified in our strong opposition to the recently purchased ICE facility in Salt Lake City. Make no mistake, this facility is not welcome in our community, and it is morally wrong.
“We intend to work with partners inside and outside of government to identify all available options for ensuring ICE does not bring its next inhumane detention center to Salt Lake County.”
— Councilmembers Jiro Johnson, Suzanne Harrison, Natalie Pinkey, and Ross Romero
The Salt Lake City Council also weighed in:
“We are aware that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has purchased a property in Salt Lake City,” the statement says.
“We are working to understand the agency’s plans for the site and the impacts on the surrounding community. Transparency about the purpose and potential impacts of this facility is essential.
“Our neighbors—no matter where they were born—deserve safety, dignity and the opportunity to thrive. News like this undermines those goals for our community. Salt Lake City stands for inclusion and belonging. We are pressing for answers, considering our options and closely watching how this affects nearby neighborhoods.”
Utah House and Senate Democrats released the following statement:
“The news that the Department of Homeland Security has purchased a 25-acre property in Salt Lake City is deeply disturbing and alarming. Today is a bleak day for our state. Those who have been watching what has unfolded across the country know that an ICE detention facility does not exist in isolation. These centers arrive with massive enforcement operations that tear through communities, and the conditions that exist within these centers are violent and inhumane.
“We will do everything in our power to defend the constitutional and due process rights of all those who call Utah home.
“While we firmly oppose an ICE detention infrastructure anywhere in our state, it is particularly alarming that this facility will sit in the heart of one of Utah’s diverse communities. Life as we know it on the West Side is about to change dramatically, and many families will now live under constant terror. This is a defining moment for our state, and we are confident that Utah will come together to stand up for what is right.
“We call upon faith leaders, nonprofit organizations, the philanthropic community, advocates, and local and state leaders to come together and prepare for what is about to unfold. We call on our neighbors across Utah to come together and be the Utah we all know by protecting each other and standing up for the dignity and rights of every person.”
ICE response to Gephardt Daily
ICE answered a request for comment from Gephardt Daily with the following statement:
“ICE purchased a facility in Salt Lake City, Utah. These will be very well structure detention facilities meeting our regular detention standards. Site will undergo community impact studies and a rigorous due diligence process to make sure there is no hardship on local utilities or infrastructure prior to purchase. 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 more than $238.7 million in tax revenue.
“These economic benefits don’t even take into account that removing criminals from the streets makes communities safer for business owners and customers. ICE is targeting criminal illegal aliens including murderers, rapist, pedophiles, gang members and more. Nearly 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.”
