OKLAHOMA CITY – In a Facebook post late Thursday morning, Mayor David Holt said that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is no longer in talks to acquire a southwest OKC warehouse for use as an immigration detention and processing center.
Following more than a week of resident outcry, City government requests, and a heavily attended City Council meeting Tuesday, Holt said in his post that he had met with the property owners of 2800 S. Council Rd., who confirmed that “they are no longer engaged with the Department of Homeland Security about a potential acquisition or lease.”
The building had been eyed by DHS for use as a planned “processing center” for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, with the City only receiving notice of the plans in a late-December email ensuring that no historic property would be harmed in the area.
That email detailed potential renovations for the warehouse including cameras, fencing, guard shacks, and more.
That news was originally reported by The Oklahoman on January 18th, nearly a month after the OKC Planning Department had received the email from DHS, during which time, members of the Oklahoma City Council said they were not made aware of the plans.
In his post, Holt did not elaborate on whether the owners of the property – Kansas-based Flint Development, represented in OKC by Newmark Robinson Park – had decided to refuse any offer made by DHS or if DHS themselves had reversed or reconsidered their plans for the warehouse, only that the owners were “no longer engaged” with the department.
Increased scrutiny on DHS
This comes as DHS and ICE are facing increased scrutiny nationwide after increasingly aggressive and violent actions by agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota that have resulted in two protesters dead and thousands filling the streets in opposition throughout January.
Those actions have elevated concerns among OKC residents, who see the addition of a large-scale ICE facility within city limits as evidence of possible escalation of immigration enforcement in the city, enforcement that some residents say has already seen increased violence and aggression in recent weeks.
Following a growing national pushback, including calls for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign or be impeached, Senate Democrats have threatened to block any government funding package that provides further funding for DHS and ICE, funding that would be necessary for the wide-reaching national expansion of the agency first detailed by The Washington Post.
‘Concern for our community’
Following the disclosure of plans for the facility, City officials sent a request to DHS asking that they voluntarily adhere to local zoning processes, rather than claiming exemption through the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, and Holt sent a letter to Oklahoma’s Congressional delegation asking for support in that request.
After a five-hour City Council meeting Tuesday that saw more than 60 residents voicing opposition to the plans, City leaders said that they would consider any legal options available to ensure a local decision on the facility, including the possibility of the City of OKC suing the federal government.
Mayor Holt was not in attendance at that meeting, citing prior obligations to his role as President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, who released a statement Saturday condemning the violent actions of ICE agents in Minneapolis.
In his Facebook post Thursday, Holt indicated that the decision to cease plans for the South Council property to become an ICE detention center was made by the property owners themselves, and seemed to encourage other property owners in OKC to do the same.
“I commend the owners for their decision and thank them on behalf of the people of Oklahoma City,” the post reads. “As Mayor, I ask that every single property owner in Oklahoma City exhibit the same concern for our community in the days ahead.”
At the time of publishing, attempts to reach Mayor Holt directly were not returned
Brett Fieldcamp is the owner and Editor in Chief of Oklahoma City Free Press. He has been covering arts, entertainment, news, housing, and culture in Oklahoma for nearly two decades and served as Arts & Entertainment Editor before purchasing the company from founder Brett Dickerson in 2026.
He is also a musician and songwriter and holds a certification as Specialist of Spirits from The Society of Wine Educators.
