Oklahoma Landowners Abruptly Kill Deal for Planned ICE Facility

Even ICE’s enormous 2026 budget has its limits.

Landowners in Oklahoma City are backing out of a deal with the federal agency, nixing plans to develop a new ICE facility in the area after agents killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis.

Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt announced the terminated contract on social media Thursday morning after meeting with the property owners at 2800 S. Council in the southwest portion of the city.

“The owners are not residents of Oklahoma and this is the only property they own in Oklahoma City,” Holt wrote. “The owners of the property at 2800 S. Council confirmed to me this morning that they are no longer engaged with the Department of Homeland Security about a potential acquisition or lease of this property.

“I commend the owners for their decision and thank them on behalf of the people of Oklahoma City,” Holt added. “As Mayor, I ask that every single property owner in Oklahoma City exhibit the same concern for our community in the days ahead.”

The property at 2800 S. Council road is a 26.8-acre warehouse. Its owners are listed as OKC Logistic Park LLC, a leasing company based out of Kansas, according to the Oklahoma County Assessor database.

The Homeland Security Department issued a letter to the city last month indicating that the agency intended to “purchase, occupy, and rehabilitate” the spacious depot with the intention of housing up to 1,500 people. The agency also noted the potential addition of “tentage and a guard shack,” fencing, and “holding and processing spaces” to the property.

In response, the city government recognized that it had little recourse to prevent DHS from creating a facility in the city due to the Constitution’s supremacy clause. But city leadership wrote that “decisions about land use are best made locally,” and implored DHS to listen to feedback from residents who might be affected by the center’s creation.

The mayor’s office also petitioned members of Congress, asking them to express support for the city as it attempted to negotiate with Homeland Security.

The property owners’ stark reversal comes in the immediate wake of a packed Oklahoma City Council meeting that took place Wednesday, in which droves of local residents filled City Hall in order to oppose the facility’s construction, reported KFOR, an NBC News affiliate in Oklahoma.