WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker urged Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Thursday to reconsider plans to convert a warehouse near Byhalia, Miss., into an ICE detention center. In a letter, the Mississippi Republican said the proposed facility — which he described as having more than 8,500 beds — would strain local services and complicate economic-development plans for Marshall County, Feb. 5, 2026.
ICE detention center plan draws pushback from Sen. Roger Wicker
Wicker, the senior U.S. senator from Mississippi, said he supports immigration enforcement but opposes the Byhalia proposal as it is currently moving forward. “While I support the enforcement of immigration law, I write to express my opposition to this acquisition and the proposed detention center,” Wicker wrote in a letter released by his office.
In a Reuters report, Wicker said the federal government is in the final stages of acquiring the warehouse and intends to convert it into an ICE detention center. He warned that the rural area does not have the medical and human-services capacity to support a detention operation on that scale.
Wicker also argued that the warehouse site is better suited for private-sector growth and job creation. The location was designed and marketed as an industrial project, he said, and converting it to a detention center would limit other investment options.
Local questions about the scale of the ICE detention center
Byhalia is a Marshall County town about 40 miles south of Memphis. Residents and local leaders have pressed for clearer answers about what a large detention facility would mean for water, sewer, emergency response and staffing.
Mississippi Today reported that community fears intensified after a list of potential sites circulated online and people showed up at the warehouse during a reported site visit in mid-January. The outlet said the property is located on Mt. Carmel Road.
Memphis-area station Action News 5 reported that Homeland Security and White House officials have acknowledged a broader plan to expand detention capacity nationwide, but said a decision on the Byhalia project had not been finalized.
ICE detention center debates are spreading beyond Mississippi
The Byhalia proposal comes amid a national push to expand detention space, including through private operators and repurposed facilities. Similar fights have erupted elsewhere, even in communities that have traditionally supported tougher immigration policy.
In April 2025, The Marshall Project reported on conservative pushback in Leavenworth, Kan., where city leaders and residents challenged efforts to reopen a shuttered private facility for ICE detainees.
In 2025, The Associated Press reported that detainees began arriving at a former prison in Mason, Tenn., after local officials approved agreements with ICE and private operator CoreCivic despite vocal opposition.
And in March 2025, The Washington Post reported that federal officials planned to reopen the 2,400-bed South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, resuming family detention after the Biden administration ended the practice.
For Byhalia, the next steps remain unclear. Wicker asked Noem for a response and requested updates on any future proposals affecting Mississippi. DHS did not immediately comment on the project.
