ICE wants to buy Pattison building in Virginia to use for ‘holding and processing’

VANCOUVER — The United States Department of Homeland Security is planning to buy a building owned by the property arm of Vancouver-based conglomerate Jim Pattison Group to use as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement “processing facility.”

The department sent a letter to the Hanover County planning department in Hanover, Va., last Wednesday, sharing its intent to “purchase, occupy and rehabilitate” the warehouse property.

Property records show Jim Pattison Developments bought the building for roughly C$10.4 million in 2022 and the site is expected to be valued at around C$69 million this year, following improvements.

The Jim Pattison Group and Jim Pattison Developments did not immediately return requests for comment.

An archived web page from the latter shows the company advertised the 43.5-acre site with a 550,000-square-foot industrial warehouse facility for lease in 2024.

In its letter, the U.S. department said it intended to make modifications to the property that include construction, equipment and security upgrades.

“The interior of the structure may be renovated or rebuilt to support ICE operational requirements, which may include but are not limited to construction of holding and processing spaces, office space, public-facing visitor spaces, and installation of amenities, such as cafeterias, bathrooms, and health-care spaces,” it said.

Other additions could include “tentage and a guard shack,” the letter said.

The activities of ICE have come under criticism amid a crackdown in Minneapolis, in which two people have been shot dead by its officers.

In a press release last Thursday, Hanover County said it did “not initiate” the project and was told by Homeland Security that it had 30 days to respond to the letter.

The department said it invited several federally recognized tribes to participate in a “consultation” regarding the planned purchase.

The county said its board of supervisors would meet Wednesday to consider its next steps, with the meeting’s agenda noting the board would consult lawyers about zoning laws related to “federal government uses.”

Emily Lowan, leader of the Green Party of B.C., said in a post on social media that billionaire Jimmy Pattison’s businesses should be boycotted over the pending sale.

“This is a stark reminder of how the billionaire class aids and abets fascist forces,” she said in an Instagram post on Sunday.

U.S. procurement records show another Vancouver-based company, Hootsuite, is providing social media services to the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE.

The contract between Homeland Security and New York-based Seneca Strategic Partners is to provide “social media management platform Hootsuite and support services,” and is worth up to US$2.8 million, according to a U.S. government procurement website.

Hootsuite, which has not responded to requests for comment, turned away a reporter from The Canadian Press at its Vancouver headquarters on Monday. Security guards said appointments were needed to speak to anyone.

A protest outside the building is planned on Friday by a group called Democracy Rising, which is urging Hootsuite to “cancel its contracts and publicly apologize.”

Kalifi Ferretti-Gallon, co-founder of Democracy Rising, said it was worrisome to see Canadian firms like Hootsuite continuing to offer services to ICE.

“Our concern isn’t whether or not ICE is technically complying with software terms. It’s whether continuing to provide services to an agency engaged in widespread civil rights violations is responsible, whether to profit off of these atrocities, to profit off of repression is ethical,” said Ferretti-Gallon.

Some federal agents in Minneapolis were expected to leave as soon as Tuesday, after U.S. President Donald Trump softened his tone Monday on the immigration crackdown, touting productive conversations with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 26, 2026.

— With files by Nono Shen in Vancouver and The Associated Press

Marissa Birnie, The Canadian Press