SLC Planning Commission approves proposal targeting private jails, detention facilities
Jul 9, 2026, 2:00 PM
Image of the Salt Lake City Planning Commission meeting July 9, 2026, where members approved a proposal that bans construction of jails and correctional facilities, including immigration detention centers, on privately-owned land within city limits. (Screengrab from YouTube)
(Screengrab from YouTube)
SALT LAKE CITY — The Salt Lake City Planning Commission has approved a proposal that would ban the construction of jails and correctional facilities, including immigration detention centers, on privately-owned land within city limits.
The commission has been exploring its options involving immigration facilities since the federal government bought a warehouse on the west side of Salt Lake City earlier this year with the intention of turning it into an ICE detention center .
“This facility was purchased under cover of night and I know a lot of folks in my community are really, really scared,” Commissioner Lilah Rosenfield said during a Planning Commission meeting in March.
The commission met Wednesday night, and all four of the members that were present voted unanimously to approve the proposal.
The Salt Lake City warehouse may be transformed into a mega-facility for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. It is reportedly capable of housing 7,500 beds. (Shelby Lofton, KSL)
The ban would apply to anyone who is a private landowner, including people contracted by ICE or other government agencies. However, the ban would not apply to land owned by the state or federal government.
The rule approved Wednesday would not impact the land where the Department of Homeland Security’s planned ICE detention center currently sits.
“I don’t feel like this is enough, but I don’t feel like there’s anything we could do that would be enough,” Rosenfield said during Wednesday’s commission meeting.
It’s important to note the proposal will not take effect unless and until it is voted on by the Salt Lake City Council. It is unclear when or if that will happen.
The future of DHS’s planned detention facility on Salt Lake City’s west side is also uncertain.
In June The New York Times reported that DHS wanted to sell seven of the 11 warehouses it’s purchased around the country, including the Salt Lake City warehouse.
No new information about a potential sale has been made available since that report was published.
