Project Salt Box — ICE Warehouse Overpayment Research and Tracking
Overview
Project Salt Box is an activist research organization that compiles data on ICE warehouse purchases, documenting systematic overpayments by comparing federal acquisition prices to estimated market valuations. Their research has been cited by More Perfect Union, congressional investigators, and other outlets covering the detention expansion.
Key Research
Michael Wriston, a Project Salt Box researcher, explained their methodology: “In several of the ICE warehouse purchases Project Salt Box reviewed through property records, financing documents and lien filings, the properties were owned by institutional real estate funds and financed with bank debt, and when the federal government purchased the properties, those sales coincided with loans being paid off and liens being released.”
Documented Overpayments
| Location | DHS Price | Prior Valuation | Markup |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social Circle, GA | $129M | $29M | 333% |
| Surprise, AZ | $70M | $12M (2023) | ~500% |
| Socorro, TX | $123M | $11M | ~1000% |
| Tremont, PA | $119M | ~$60M est. | ~200% |
| Roxbury, NJ | $129.3M | market value | 137% over |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $145M | ~$95M est. | 50%+ over |
Tools
Project Salt Box maintains a Looker Studio dashboard for tracking ICE warehouse acquisitions and overpayments.