A Deleted Filename Reveals ICE's Plans for a New Facility in the Hudson Valley
Federal leasing documents, including a briefly posted file bearing the agency's name, point to a ICE’s interest to lease a law enforcement facility near Stewart International Airport in Newburgh, N.Y.
ICE appears to be seeking a new facility near Stewart International Airport in Newburgh, N.Y., according to federal leasing documents describing a building with a dedicated sally port for “detainee buses and vans,” secured parking and small arms storage — requirements that point to enforcement or detention operations rather than a conventional office lease.
The procurement process began in April 2024, more than a year before the current administration took office, with estimated occupancy by spring 2027.
The General Services Administration solicitation, number 2NY0894, seeks between 35,049 and 36,801 square feet in an area bounded by Route 52 to the north, Route 207 to the south, Interstate 87 to the east and Route 747 to the west. It calls for 24-hour access, emergency power, 67 secured parking spaces and a sally port for government vehicles including “detainee buses and vans.” Level III security standards — typically associated with elevated law enforcement presence — apply.
GSA does not identify tenant agencies by name in sensitive law enforcement leases. The link to ICE emerged from the portal’s own file history. When an amendment was posted on October 24, 2025, a document briefly appeared under the name “2NY0894 ICE Newburgh - RLP Amendment No 1 10232025 (1) (1) (1).pdf” before being replaced with a generically titled file. The underlying solicitation remained public.
Federal office leases typically include a standard allowance — in this case $61.32 per square foot — to cover the cost of fitting out interior space with basics like walls, flooring and lighting. That now-deleted file, archived by Project Salt Box, contained an amendment disclosing that the actual buildout is expected to run an additional $282.58 per square foot above that allowance — bringing the total anticipated interior construction cost to roughly $343 per square foot, or roughly $12 million across the minimum solicited space.
The Newburgh solicitation comes as federal plans for detention infrastructure in the Hudson Valley have drawn fierce opposition. Earlier this year, ICE backed away from a proposal to convert a former Pep Boys distribution warehouse at 29 Elizabeth Drive in Chester, N.Y. into a detention facility capable of housing up to 1,500 detainees, after more than 30,000 people signed a petition against the plan and elected officials on both sides of the aisle came out in opposition. ICE told State Assemblymember Brian Maher it would not proceed with the Chester location “at this time.”
ICE has maintained an Office of the Principal Legal Advisor at 15 Governor Drive since 2015, occupying roughly 9,074 square feet of rental office space according to GSA records. The proposed facility would be nearly four times that size, purpose-built for enforcement operations rather than legal administration.
Excellent reporting. Rachel Maddow at MSNow has been covering these warehouse conversions and protests around them--know you are in touch with her team. Keep turning up the heat--sunlight is the best antidote to their secretive plans.
We need a Project Salt Box for Data Centers….is there one, or something similar?? Any info would be appreciated. Thank you 🙏