Federal immigration officials are reportedly planning to convert a large vacant warehouse in Hutchins, Texas, into a detention facility that could hold up to 9,500 people, potentially making it one of the largest in the country, according to internal documents reviewed by The Dallas Morning News.
The site, a roughly 1-million-square-foot industrial building just south of downtown Dallas, at 950 N. I-45, is part of a broader federal effort to expand detention capacity in Texas and other states.
The proposed Hutchins facility and three other Texas sites outlined in the documents would add at least 20,000 beds statewide, with another “mega” center planned near El Paso capable of holding about 8,500 people.
Local officials and community leaders have raised concerns about whether Hutchins — a town of fewer than 8,000 residents — has the infrastructure, water and sewer capacity to support a facility of that size and how it would affect public services and quality of life.
While ICE has not publicly confirmed the plans or released formal details about the Hutchins site, reports indicate the agency is moving forward with identifying and acquiring warehouse properties near major logistical hubs to meet rising detention needs under current federal immigration enforcement priorities.
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