Project Salt Box

Flower Branch, GA.

Most industrial warehouses, like the ones ICE are buying, are built with only one or two bathrooms, showers, and drinking fountains — enough for office staff. ICE would need to massively retrofit these sites to comply with their own National Detention Standards, at the cost of millions.

Project Salt Box on Instagram: "ICE DETENTION CENTER IN HAGERSTOWN We analyzed a January 12th letter from DHS to the Washington County Historic District Commission that officially names this site the... 373 likes, 34 comments - projectsaltbox on February 2, 2026: "ICE DETENTION CENTER IN HAGERSTOWN We analyzed a January 12th letter from DHS to the Washington County Historic District Commission that ...

Sorry for the link to IG. Our vid was too long for Bsky.

We looked at the environmental and local utility tolls that turning a warehouse to a detention center takes. We also compared these sites to existing ICE sites like McAllen, TX.

Bottom line: it’s a lot.

And if you can find out who owns the property, call them out both directly and publicly.

The Ashland, VA deal was canceled because someone went to the Canadian press and the owner (a Canadian company) had people coming at them from two countries.

The thing that is working nationwide is to show up at city or county council meetings and use public comment time to be heard. CALL your electeds, give them your name and zip code, and tell them how you feel about these warehouses.

Be sure to click the link on the warehouse map to check out our contract tool! It does the same thing for DHS contracts and purchases.

Good call — that wasn’t on the property shortlist WaPo leaked in December. I have some ideas on how to include existing detention sites. Updates to follow….

Leaked list of potential ICE detention warehouses.

Hey there — beds data comes from a leaked document that Washington Post reported in December.

I actually have the data broken out by street/city/state but concatenated it so people on mobile could somewhat read the data. I’ll balance it out tomorrow.

Virginia, Oklahoma, and several others united and shut down similar sales in their states. Proud of y’all.

Not yet. We’re watching the federal clearinghouse data like a hawk. Especially watching firms like SK2 LLC who have previously been attached to design and due diligence contracts for these processing centers.

Will also update with info when fit-out contracts start showing up.

Sadly, yes. The map is up to date with the new sale information and potential property tax loss for the local community.

Who pays when the federal government buys big?

New data shows ICE has so far spent nearly $450M acquiring almost 5M sq. ft. of warehouse space. But for local communities, the "sale" comes with a hidden cost: potentially hundreds of thousands in lost state and local tax revenue.

My favorite quote: "There is a difference between watchdog journalism and activism designed to preemptively mobilize resistance."

“Project Salt Box” and the Rise of Citizen ICE Monitoring in Maryland - Maryland Bay News A Maryland volunteer group tracks ICE using public records, raising questions about federal authority, state limits, and the line between transparency and obstruction.

We officially have our first AI-generated hate piece!

From Vacant Warehouse to ICE Detention Center: A $102 Million Sale Comes at a 33% Mark Up A struggling Hagerstown warehouse, refinanced at $76.8 million in June, sold to the federal government for $102.4 million in January, highlighting rapid ICE expansion and a troubled investment

And: open.substack.com/pub/projects...

ICE Now Owns a Hagerstown Warehouse. A Plan to Design It Is in Shambles. The first confirmed site in a proposed immigration detention network has been purchased near Hagerstown, even as the Native American nation tied to its design work says it has exited the contract

Hey B!

We actually broke that news, and then dug deep into the background of the deal here: open.substack.com/pub/projects...

Screenshot of a map and table listing ICE warehouse purchase data.

🚨 New: We built a visual tracker of the warehouses ICE is targeting across the US.

Working off an idea from @actualkatherine.bsky.social, we’ve mapped active searches, canceled deals, and linked state property records.

Explore the map here: tinyurl.com/ICEWarehouse...

DHS Contracts Visualizer Looker Studio turns your data into informative dashboards and reports that are easy to read, easy to share, and fully customizable.

@marisakabas.bsky.social

Here you go!
lookerstudio.google.com/reporting/b0...

Building it as we speak!

Maryland Bill Would Ban Detention Centers in Repurposed Buildings, Teeing Up Federal Showdown Emergency legislation prohibits immigration detention in structures not originally built for incarceration, setting up potential Supremacy Clause challenge

Maryland legislators introduced emergency legislation last week that would prohibit anyone from operating an immigration detention facility in a building not “originally designed and constructed for the purpose of housing or detaining individuals.”

A call for community support from the team at PSB Help us help an organization that needs it most

For 10 years, AWE has helped people fleeing everything start over in their building at St. Anthony's Parish. This summer they're losing it. The Catholic Diocese is selling the property. AWE tried to buy it, offered more rent, explained the impact on clients. The decision still stands.

You can help.

From Vacant Warehouse to ICE Detention Center: A $102 Million Sale Comes at a 33% Mark Up A struggling Hagerstown warehouse, refinanced at $76.8 million in June, sold to the federal government for $102.4 million in January, highlighting rapid ICE expansion and a troubled investment

Behind the transaction is a modern real estate vehicle that blurs the line between Wall Street and ordinary investors — Fundrise, a Washington-based investment platform that markets itself as giving everyday people access to private real estate deals.

@madisyn-writes.bsky.social is on the case!

2/28 - Project Salt Box: Open Data as Community Defense by Red Emma's Get tickets and support Red Emma's by becoming a member

Join PSB at @redemmas.org to talk about how we are using public records — from federal procurement databases and land deeds to local plumbing and HVAC permits — to track Homeland Security’s unprecedented growth under the One Big Beautiful Bill.

Sat, Feb. 28, 7:00 PM
3128 Greenmount Ave, Baltimore

Washington County Cited Federal Limits on ICE Facility. It Didn't Mention Its Federal Rights. County officials say they're powerless to block the detention center. Federal law gives them a formal consultative role they haven't publicly discussed.

The internal Department of Homeland Security letter that prompted the county’s statement — a three-page document dated Jan. 12 — was not a final order. It was what the agency called an “initiation of consultation.”

me when @projectsaltbox.bsky.social, a group of ragtag volunteers with ADHD and nonexistent sleep schedules, get our reporting picked up by @thebaltimorebanner.com @washingtonpost.com @bloomberg.com and more???? wild times, y'all, wild times.

anyway i think independent journalism can save us <3

Thanks for checking Dr E!

I mean junior volleyball moms are pretty scary tbh

We called and tried to reserve hotel rooms at the Hiltons and Marriotts in Baltimore. Any idea why the downtown locations are 100% booked for February?

PSB has been spotted in reporting from @thebaltimorebanner.com, @baltimorebeat.bsky.social, WYPR, and @washingtonpost.com this week!

Lots of people asking how you can help. Well, here are some ways!

1. Donate to local orgs
2. Use our data for good!
3. Send us tips or things you want to know!