ICE Offloads Seven Noem-Era Warehouses Under Mullin, Exposing Overpriced Detention Buildout — But $45B Mandate Holds

On June 21, 2026, reporting confirmed that DHS under new Secretary Markwayne Mullin is offloading seven warehouses purchased under predecessor Kristi Noem — including properties in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and elsewhere — bought collectively for $336M-plus, many above appraised value. The agency plans to sell or transfer them to other federal agencies while continuing warehouse acquisitions in Texas, Arizona, and Maryland. The reversal exposes how the Noem-era detention expansion was built on overpriced, operationally unusable sites.

It is a procurement-waste reversal, not a retreat from mass detention overall: the Big Beautiful Bill’s $45B detention mandate remains in force, and ICE has already opened 152 new facilities nationwide. A property transfer to another federal agency (e.g. Army Corps or CBP) is not a cancellation. This continues the Mullin-era walk-back of the WEXMAC-TITUS warehouse buildout Mullin paused on taking office (2026-03-24), and lands amid the municipal lawsuits challenging individual conversions (Salt Lake City/County, Romulus MI, Roxbury NJ).

Related events: 2026-03-24–mullin-sworn-dhs-secretary-pauses-wexmac-titus-warehouse-buildout, 2026-06-08–salt-lake-city-county-sue-dhs-ice-warehouse-detention-conversion, 2026-03-24–michigan-romulus-sue-ice-dhs-detention-warehouse, 2026-05-07–ice-custody-deaths-reach-17-152-new-detention-facilities-39-states-2026-record-pace.