Listen to this article
Estimated 5 minutes
The audio version of this article was created with AI-based technology. Mispronunciations may occur. We are working with our partners to continuously evaluate and improve the results.
As the United States grapples with the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, a giant warehouse in Virginia has become a flashpoint — and a British Columbia company has entered the fray.
Hundreds of people gathered at the Hanover County Administration Building in Virginia on Wednesday evening to say that local leaders do not support turning a warehouse into a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center.
“The board opposes the purchase of this property,” Hanover Board of Supervisors Chairman Sean Davis said in front of a packed room of residents.
The US Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, is set to buy the agency from the property arm of the Vancouver-based Jim Pattison Group. The Canadian firm said in a statement that it did not know the warehouse was intended to be an ICE property when it agreed to sell the site.
Jim Pattison Developments said it has officially listed the site for lease or sale and has received an offer from a “US government contractor” to purchase the property.
Businessman and philanthropist Jim Pattison is facing criticism for cooperating with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Virginia residents are voicing concerns over the sale of a warehouse owned by Pattison to become an ICE facility.
“After some time, we knew we had to use the original owner and the purpose of the building,” he said in a statement Tuesday.
The firm said the sale is subject to approval and closing conditions and intends to “comply with all applicable laws.”
Proposed ‘catchment and processing’ facility
In a letter to Hanover County last week, the Department of Homeland Security said it plans to use the 43.5-acre site as a “containment and processing facility.”
A 550,000-square-foot industrial warehouse is located next to a shooting range, a heating equipment supply store and across the street from the hotel in the small town of Ashland, population just under 8,000.
The federal Department of Homeland Security said it plans to use the warehouse in Ashland, part of Hanover County, to include “holding and processing areas,” offices and cafeterias. Other additions could include a “tent and guardrail,” the letter said.
The Homeland Security Board said it had not received any communication from the federal government about its plans, aside from the Homeland Security letter. Davis said the site — developed for businesses, hotels and homes — is not suitable for an ICE facility.
Because the federal government is generally exempt from zoning regulations, there isn’t much local leaders can do to stop the growth of an ICE facility. County staff will respond to the federal government to express objections and report potential impacts, Davis said. The local attorney is evaluating legal options.
The small county’s consideration for the sale comes amid an immigration crackdown in the United States. Two have become American citizens He was shot dead by federal agents in Minneapolis It sparked widespread protests this month.
Virginia is considered a blue state, but Hanover County — a quieter area than the nearby capital of Richmond — has many Republican-leaning residents.
Polarization in view
The institute highlighted Hanover County’s political polarization among residents who spoke before the board Wednesday.
Some have spoken out about ICS and US President Donald Trump’s support for deportations – condemning the opposition – while others have spoken out about what they see as untrained federal forces targeting migrants and peaceful protesters.
Mark Stevenson, archbishop of the Diocese of Virginia, opposed the detention, saying society “is based on the fundamental truth that a person’s value is not in their paper but in the sanctity of their person, their relationships and their human dignity.”
Parents told the hearing they were concerned about the safety of the daycare center being close to homes and shops. Others cited the impact on nearby property values.
‘WHere comes the hat we see in Minneapolis
“This is where the seriousness of this facility comes in, what we see in Minneapolis,” said Harry Lee Hancock III, who stood outside the county administration building with an anti-ICE sign.
Hancock said he doesn’t think Jim Pattison Developments should be blamed, but hopes Canadian companies think about what their property will be used for before selling it.
Jim Pattison Developments, owned by British Columbia billionaire Jim Pattison, said in a statement that it does not normally comment on private transactions.
A Canadian billionaire from Saskatchewan is in talks to sell a Virginia warehouse to the US Department of Homeland Security. CBC’s Kyle Bakx joins The Morning Edition to break down criticism of this potential deal and how Jim Pattison’s team has responded.
“However, we understand that the discussion around immigration policy and implementation has been particularly heated and intensified over the past few weeks,” he said.
“We respect that this issue is very important to many people.”
United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1518, the union that represents food workers across BC, urged Jim Pattison’s group in a letter Monday to “reduce any involvement that contributes to the continued abuse of human rights.”
B.C. Attorney General Nguse Sharma said Tuesday that business leaders need to consider whether their decisions are contributing to America’s immigration crackdown.