DHS paid $145M for Salt Lake ICE facility — but may own only half the land

SALT LAKE CITY — Newly uncovered county records reveal a surprising detail about a major federal immigration facility in Salt Lake City: The Department of Homeland Security appears to own only half of the land beneath its newly acquired warehouse, despite paying well above the property’s assessed value.

According to documents from the Salt Lake County Recorder’s Office, the massive 833,280-square-foot warehouse spans two separate parcels totaling nearly 47 acres. The warehouse is intended for use as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement “mega center” capable of detaining 7,000 to 10,000 people.

However, only one of those parcels was purchased by DHS: a 24.93-acre parcel that includes the entirety of the warehouse, with the address 6020 W. 300 South.

As for the second parcel, county officials haven’t received documentation of the transfer of ownership. The second parcel is 21.85 acres, with the address of 6136 W. 300 South, and is listed under the ownership of “RREEF CPIF 6020 W 300 S,” a limited liability company tied to Deutsche Bank.

Salt Lake County Assessor Chris Stavros confirmed the unusual arrangement.

“It actually straddles both parcels,” Stavros said, noting that it is highly unusual to see a building extend into two parcels when they aren’t held by the same owner.

County records show the combined market value of the two parcels and the warehouse is approximately $114 million. DHS, however, paid $145 million — seemingly for only one parcel.

“I would be surprised… if they only bought half of the land and half of the building for that price,” Stavros said. “It doesn’t make sense to me.”

Given the properties’ combined market value, Stavros said DHS appears to have overpaid for the facility, especially if the deal only includes the 24.93-acre parcel with the warehouse.

“Absolutely (it appears they overpaid),” Stavros said. “But not knowing, reviewing the purchase contract in detail, and not knowing the motivation and the details behind the sale, I couldn’t say exactly. But on the surface, it does appear that they paid more than the market is.”

The split ownership also creates complications for property taxes. Federal property is exempt from taxation, but privately owned land is not. As a result, only the portion of the warehouse sitting on the privately held parcel remains taxable.

According to 2025 records, both parcels had a combined property tax of $1,053,486.59.

“Just being honest with you, we can’t exempt something from property tax unless it is clearly in the ownership of the government entity,” Stavros explained. “And we haven’t received any documents.”

This partial exemption has broader consequences for local taxpayers. Since about half of the property is now exempt from property tax, the tax shift will be borne by Salt Lake County taxpayers who pay into the same taxing entities as the property.

Stavros said his office reached out to the title company, listed as Chicago Title Insurance Company, a member of the Fidelity National Financial family of companies, to determine whether there was an error with the deed.

“I would think it’s just an oversight somewhere with somebody,” Stavros said, adding that he thinks DHS’s intent was to include both parcels in the $145-million deal.

KSL also sent requests for comment to DHS, the second parcel owner, and the title company involved in the transaction. Responses had not been received as of publication.