ICE Moving Its Milwaukee Facility

310 E. Knapp St. Photo by Mariiana Tzotcheva

ICE is on the move in Milwaukee.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will close its downtown processing facility, a spokesperson confirmed.

The agency is moving from leased space at 310 E. Knapp St. to an 18,000-square-foot facility at 11925 W. Lake Park Dr. in the Park Place business park on the city’s far Northwest Side.

“ICE will soon be moving office space,” a spokesperson said in a statement to Urban Milwaukee. “The transition from Knapp Street to Lake Park will follow a phased approach to ensure a smooth and efficient process. ICE remains committed to maintaining continuity of operations as the office becomes fully operational.”

The agency has publicly pursued the new location since 2023. Its downtown office has already partially emptied. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, a sister agency within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, relocated to the 310W building in Westown.

ICE’s northwest side plans became a source of controversy in January when area Alderwoman Larresa Taylor publicly voiced her concerns. A press conference held days before President Donald Trump came into office featured several speakers criticizing the agency and Trump’s intent to deport millions of undocumented immigrants. Taylor said the agency was moving into her district without residents having a voice. Subsequently, the city saw a private developer invoke the federal government’s authority to override the city’s zoning powers. Construction of the facility proceeded, and an occupancy permit was requested in October and issued on Nov. 3.

“This facility will have processing stations plus temporary holding rooms. This will not be a detention facility,” said an ICE spokesperson. The position reiterates what is shown on building permits and a January statement.

ICE’s lone Wisconsin detention center is the Dodge Detention Facility in Juneau. It was built in 2001 and is operated by Dodge County as its primary jail, in addition to being used by ICE and the U.S. Marshals.

But ICE might not be leaving Downtown entirely. In September, ICE issued a request for fully furnished office space in Milwaukee and 18 other cities. It is looking for up to 18,500 square feet of space in each city. The selected location has not been revealed, nor have any related building permits been filed.

The northwest side relocation, once complete, will allow the Milwaukee School of Engineering to proceed with plans to redevelop the downtown building.

Real estate developer and alumnus Kendall Breunig purchased the building in 2021, then sold it to the university in early 2023 for millions less than its assessed value as part of a larger donation. In 2023, MSOE announced plans to redevelop the building as a home for its Civil and Architectural Engineering and Construction Management program and to name it after Breunig. A press release gave a fall 2024 opening date. However, the university has had the federal government as a tenant longer than expected. Earlier this year, university officials said the lease was extended by a year.

A General Services Administration database shows the lease extends through 2028 with a termination option in April 2026. The federal government pays $2.1 million annually to lease the 59,000-square-foot structure. Details on the new location are not available in the database.

Weekly protests have taken place outside the downtown building in recent months.

ICE received $45 billion from the One Big Beautiful Act, which Congress passed in July. The president has publicly maintained his intent to deport millions of undocumented immigrants.

Urban Milwaukee reported in early September that a second federal tenant was poised to co-locate with ICE on the Northwest Side.

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