ICE Moving Its Milwaukee Facility
From Downtown to Northwest Side. With maybe a second office still to come.
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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More about the ICE facility relocation
- ICE Moving Its Milwaukee Facility - Jeramey Jannene - Dec 2nd, 2025
- Demonstrators Protest at New ICE Detention Center in Milwaukee - Isiah Holmes - Nov 17th, 2025
- ICE Seeks Downtown Milwaukee Office To Go With New Field Facility - Jeramey Jannene - Oct 2nd, 2025
- Second Federal Agency Moving Into Milwaukee ICE Building - Jeramey Jannene - Sep 9th, 2025
- Federal Government Confirms ICE Facility For Northwest Side - Jeramey Jannene - Feb 17th, 2025
- ICE Can Build Whatever Facility It Wants in Milwaukee - Jeramey Jannene - Feb 5th, 2025
- City To Host Discussion On ICE Facility, But Attorney Suggests It May Be Moot Point - Jeramey Jannene - Jan 30th, 2025
- Is ICE Building A Detention Facility in Milwaukee? - Jeramey Jannene - Jan 17th, 2025
- Ald. Taylor introduces communication file to discuss ICE facility relocation - Ald. Larresa Taylor - Jan 17th, 2025
- Statement Relating to ICE Detention Facility Expansion in Milwaukee - Milwaukee Common Council - Jan 16th, 2025
Read more about ICE facility relocation here
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I look forward to ICE’ eventual shutdown and decommissioning.
They can move the Gestapo out to the NW side, but we’ll still be there demanding “ICE out of Milwaukee”!
They should consider leaving the city and state all together.
ICE states the new site is not a detention center, right. That’s like the Gestapo’s assertion that Auschwitz was just a work camp.
You lefty’s who voted for Biden have him to blame for this mess! However, in typical lefty, democratic, progressive fashion you refuse to acknowledge that the 4 years of Joe Biden and his administration was a disaster. Now Trump has to clean it up and it’s going to take time. ICE is going nowhere until all of the illegal aliens are eradicated from the USA.
@jsalmon – Really, you use the word eradicate – it sounds like you would have approved the “Final Solution” in Nazi Germany.
1 – What do you mean by “mess” from Biden?
The economy, jobs, infrastructure work, etc. were progressing marvelously under Biden. The economy was the envy of the world.
Our allies could work with us and trust us, now we are stabbing them in the back and abandoning them.
Meanwhile, Trump continues to cozy up to dictators and to enrich himself, mostly through bribery type schemes and does it out in the open and the Supreme Court doesn’t care.
2 – What do you consider the resulting problem of folks coming from other countries to the U.S.?
They use limited U.S.resources and contribute far more in taxes than what they use.
They perform the jobs most folks avoid doing, due to danger and poor pay.
3 – What is it that you believe has to be cleaned up?
Since Trump took office, literally every economic and personal freedom measures in the U.S. have declined and our neighbors now have to be wary of us.
@mke Eradicated means to root out all illegal aliens and send them back to their country of origin. You’re ridiculous to suggest and equate the rooting out of these illegals is akin to the Nazis rounding up the Jews and hauling them off onto train cars to concentration camps and to be murdered.
The Biden mess: in today’s NYT the Biden administration was warned of the chaos of opening the borders, suggesting steps to deter the flood of illegal aliens. Biden ignored the warning and they falsely claimed to be doing all they could. Just yesterday an illegal alien stabbed an American on the Charlotte, NC light rail, and this illegal alien came here under the Biden administration. 11 – 15 million illegal aliens came here under Biden, and to top that disaster off over 300,000 children have been lost, and quite possibly trafficked to a life of abuse, and prostitution.
The economy; Biden inherited a 1.4% inflation rate, Larry Summers said that injecting $5 trillion into the economy(American Rescue Plan) and he was right, but Biden pushed forward. Biden’s open borders, regulatory suffocation, war on domestic energy,(going green is a scam), and higher taxes on small businesses had created the worst affordability squeeze in decades.
Folks coming from other countries; Have you heard about Minnesota and the Somali’s who have ripped off the taxpayers and sending that $$$ to Al Shabbab a terrorist organization to the tune of $1 billion and I’d bet it’s more! American’s are a generous people and then we get ripped off. Have you seen any videos with Imam’s preaching “death yo America,” while they are in America. Can you explain to me why there are some cities that allow the ‘call to prayer,’ Dearborn, MI allows this. Do you want to hear that. I am not saying that people who come to America can’t pray, I believe in freedom of religion. If you’re going to come to America you better want to assimilate in our western society, mandatory civics lessons, it’s the Constitution above all, you better know our laws and customs, what you do behind closed doors is your business. If I was going to move to France, I would learn the language.
Your 3rd point is complete nonsense, and I get it since 2015, when Trump ran for president and beat Hillary it’s been rough for all you lefty’s. Then you voted for an incompetent in Biden, then you supported a soft coup of Biden(Democracy is at stake), then you ran a dimwit Harris, (and by the way Harris would NOT choose Josh Shapiro as Veep because he was a Jew)whose Veep, Walz, is incredibly stupid, and it’s now fully exposed. The best thing to happen was Biden winning, because it exposed that the liberal, democrat, progressive policy ideals are a disaster for the USA. No need to reply, because you’ll disagree with all of this. Oh, and lastly, I fully agreed, Trump doesn’t get everything right, but he’s better than what was your alternative. Cheers!
@jsalmon – Wow, just wow! It is past time to get out of the right wing, MAGA propaganda, echo chamber and begin to engage with reality and facts. It is truly sad, that so many folks fall for these lies/propaganda.
It is sad that some people are so far down the MAGA rabbit hole. Psychologically, it is very difficult for people to open their eyes, see their cult for what it is, to have the courage to walk away from the cult, and risk being ostracized by those they leave behind.
The Powell memo from 1971 documented for the very rich how to “take over” this country, and they have done so. Unfortunately, many have fallen for the lies put forth by the “rich”, which have been used to decimate this country and its citizens.
@mke That’s what great about America, we can believe in whatever we want to. The difference here is that I am steeped in reality. Merry Christmas!
jsalmon1159, how do Muslim calls to prayer differ from bells at Christian churches that ring when it’s time to go to church? Do you object to Christian bells, too?
@transit
The Muslim call to prayer and church bells are not the same. Church bells can ring for many reasons and not five times a day, every day.
The Muslim call to prayer is not a neutral sound. It’s broadcast five times daily for a specific religious purpose.
America was founded as a secular republic designed to function with Judeo Christian values at its core.
We are a nation of immigrants. Except for the First Nations people whose land was stolen by our immigrant ancestors. Now we scream “illegal!” at families who are just trying to survive.
@Lizwah
Correct, we are a nation of immigrants. If you’re intent after to moving here is to assimilate, learn our western culture thru a civics program, learn our language, and to be a contributing member of society that is great. What you do behind closed doors is your business. If your intent after moving here is to not learn the above, that is an issue. This is a huge issue in many European cities that are now designated “no go,” zones, because the immigrants who came there have no desire to assimilate.
First Nations people, that’s primarily a Canadian term and not used here in the USA. If you think that Native American tribes didn’t conquer one another that’s just not true. If you feel that you’re living on stolen land and have guilt over that, you do not have to stay here.
Merrry Christmas to you!
We don’t need this agency in our community at any location
we have a lot of myths being spread about the Biden administration and so-called left voting people. we never needed an agency kidnapping people off the street until this second term. We have a lawless administration attacking our basic rights and ignoring our protests
@kenyatta
We absolutely need ICE the CBP and the police to find, engage and get these illegal aliens off of our streets.
Here’s a short list of illegal aliens that have committed murder or attempted murder in the USA;
Oscar Garcia
Christian Carabollo
Mohammad Abdi
Oved Mendoza
Edgar Diego
Hector Rivas
Nilson Granados
Gabriel Choc
Everyday there is an illegal alien murdering an American citizen, and don’t forget about Laken Riley who was murdered, and don’t forget about Jocelyn Nungaray who murdered by 2 illegal aliens.
No one is getting “kidnapped off of the street,” as you say, but. Americans are getting murdered on the street by illegal aliens.