Woodbury MN — County Board and Owner Reject ICE Warehouse Unanimously
The Fight
A newly built, vacant warehouse at 11435 Hudson Road in Woodbury (Washington County) was identified by the Washington Post in December 2025 as a potential 1,500-bed ICE processing site.
On January 13, 2026, approximately 200 people packed the Washington County Board of Commissioners meeting. Board Chair Karla Bigham stated: “There is no one on the board that supports an ICE detention center… We can’t afford it financially.”
The board wrote to the state’s congressional delegation. On January 14, Woodbury Mayor Anne Burt confirmed the warehouse owner would not sell or lease to the federal government.
Why This Fight Matters
Woodbury demonstrates the most effective resistance combination: simultaneous county board opposition AND property owner refusal. Neither alone is sufficient under federal preemption — but together, they made the deal impossible before purchase. The 200-person turnout at the board meeting in January sent an unmistakable political signal.
This is the fight the Washington County site visitor was likely researching — not the Oak Park Heights prison, but the Woodbury warehouse in the same county.