Outing sinister plans for future detention facilities
Editor’s note: originally published in The Grassroots Connector.
by Bruce Levine
In a recent interview about the impressive work of Project Salt Box (PSB) in hampering the establishment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities, co-founder Michael Wriston proposed ways that Grassroots Connector readers can help PSB prevent sales of property for large-scale incarceration of US residents.
Project Salt Box, Wriston explained, was named for the salt boxes placed in Baltimore neighborhoods allowing locals to spread salt to melt snow and ice. The efforts of the PSB team are doing the same to ICE.
Those paying attention know that Trump’s campaign to terrorize immigrant populations is well underway despite rising resistance. ICE’s pernicious goal to detain 92,000 people by this coming October will only be possible if they have carceral facilities. Currently, America’s prison infrastructure doesn’t exist at scale, so DHS is quietly acquiring land and existing buildings in which to warehouse human beings.
As reported in The Grassroots Connector and on The Rachel Maddow Show, PSB stands out for its unique role in undermining ICE’s efforts to procure existing buildings for detention facilities. The all-volunteer grassroots project analyzes publicly available data to identify where ICE detention centers are being planned around the US.
How to melt ICE
PSB created an ICE Warehouse Purchase Tracker which offers detailed “clues” as to which communities are likely to be affected. This Tracker utilizes official announcements from DHS, tangible property records, and confirmed statements from state and local officials. PSB also writes articles that further spotlight what they learn from their research. A recent piece highlighted how DHS’ public announcements of “deals” turned out to be false. Wriston and his colleagues do not publish information unless they believe it will help the efforts of locals to successfully intervene.
PSB volunteers are keen to work with volunteers around the country. Currently they rely on individuals to help document ICE’s property acquisition plans. Everyday community members can contribute to team efforts to halt the development of ICE facilities.
The PSB team welcomes tips from Connector readers and others. (E-mail projectsaltbox@proton.me). “The most successful pressure campaigns against ICE detention infrastructure have been built on grassroots organizing backed by data,” Wriston said, “exactly the kind Project Salt Box provides. When people organize at the hyperlocal level and tap into publicly accessible sources like property records, contract awards, environmental reports, tax databases, and corporate filings, they gain real power to hold the government to account. And they’ve used it, pressuring businesses and elected representatives to block ICE purchasing in states like Mississippi, Tennessee, Virginia, Utah and more.”
How you can help
To help PSB, Wriston recommended that readers think outside the box in their communities. Often, people with careers that might seem mundane, such as insurance claim processing or contract review, those who have served on public health boards or in permitting new construction projects will be in a position to learn about DHS’ interest in local properties. Public health communicators and medical illustrators have the skills needed to communicate information. Parent group leaders, union members and elected officials have networks they can mobilize.
The PSB team does not merely publish data, hoping local activists will happen upon it and act. PSB also does research to identify individuals well-positioned to take action on the data — another opportunity for grassroots groups and volunteers to contribute. Obviously PSB hopes data will inspire protests, block potential sales and effectively halt land deals and proposed construction projects. Reading PSB posts on Substack, individuals can access timely reporting on ICE’s efforts and those of the opposition.
One recent example of grassroots assistance involved an Indivisible chapter in Tennessee. When an Indivisible member gave PSB the address of a facility ICE was assessing in Wilson County, PSB confirmed plans for a detention facility in Lebanon, Tennessee. Once the word was out, Wilson County Moms Demand Action, the NAACP, and the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition rose in opposition. According to WKRN NewsChannel5, Wilson County’s pushback killed ICE detention center plans. Lebanon’s mayor stated that the proposed facility would have imprisoned 16,000 people.
Because DHS can spend billions on detention facilities, it is critical for opponents to get wind of their plans in time to stop them. Prevention is key. If no deals are signed, no processing can occur.
Follow @projectsaltbox on Instagram; and @project saltbox.bsky.social on Bluesky and PSB on Substack too.
Bruce Levine is a retired attorney and Clinical Professor Emeritus at Drexel University who co-leads Indivisible Waterfront in Washington D.C.
IndivisiBlog posts reflect the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policy positions of Indivisible Mass Coalition.
