Overview

Merrillville, Indiana (Lake County) was identified in late-2025/early-2026 reporting as a candidate for an ICE detention or processing facility under the national warehouse-conversion plan. A December 24, 2025 Washington Post report described ICE planning seven large detention centers and 16 smaller processing centers, with Merrillville named as one site. A recently built, unoccupied ~289,000-square-foot warehouse at 8719 Mississippi Street, owned by Minneapolis-based Opus Holdings, was identified as the possible location. The Town Council unanimously opposed the plan, and Opus confirmed in a February 4, 2026 letter that the building had not been sold to the federal government and that it was not negotiating with ICE.

Key Details

• Address: 8719 Mississippi Street, Merrillville (Lake County).
• Site: ~289,000 sq ft, recently constructed and unoccupied; owned by Opus Holdings (Minneapolis).
• Capacity: Unknown — no specific bed count published for this site.
• Opposition: Merrillville Town Council (unanimous resolution Jan 28, 2026, finding the facility “does not align with Merrillville’s values”); 40+ minutes of resident testimony; U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan (D-IN-1) letter to DHS Secretary Noem (Feb 5, 2026) citing public-safety and infrastructure concerns.
• Status: Contested. Opus’s Feb 4, 2026 letter said the warehouse had not been sold and it was not in negotiations with ICE or any federal agency; no formal federal notice had been received as of mid-February 2026. (A separate Indianapolis warehouse was reportedly considered for an 8,500-bed facility — distinct from this Lake County site.)

National Context

This site is part of ICE’s Detention Reengineering Initiative — the $38.3B/92,600-bed national buildout (see national-detention-buildout-strategy-2026), tracked by project-salt-box.

Sources

• Could ICE have a Merrillville warehouse? Despite public rebukes, local officials still unsure — The Indiana Lawyer (Feb 10, 2026)
• Warehouse owner not looking to sell or lease facility to ICE — NWI Times
• Public Statement from Town Leadership Regarding Reports of a Potential ICE Facility — Town of Merrillville
• Merrillville Takes Action Against Rumored ICE Facilities — Lakeshore Public Media (Jan 29, 2026)