ORLANDO, Fla. – A warehouse facility in east Orange County could become a new detainment center for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
News 6 was there Friday as ICE representatives toured the building on Transport Drive, which is located in southeast Orange County, east of the interchange between State Road 528 and State Road 417, in International Corporate Park.
David Venturella, a senior adviser with ICE, told News 6’s Mike Valente that ICE was not looking at any other facilities in the area, but insisted the tour was only part of an “exploratory stage.”
“It’s a site that could fit that purpose, but we are at very early stages,” Venturella said.
[WATCH: Rep. Frost: ICE has made ‘pretty large’ hotel reservations in Central Florida]
Venturella would not say how many people they are looking for the facility to hold.
Venturella also said permits or zoning changes might be needed, and they still have to look into that, along with whether any permission from the city of Orlando or the Orange County government was needed.
According to Orange County records, the facility has a “living area” of 442,715 square feet and was completed in 2024. It’s being marketed as warehouse space with a location close to the Orlando International Airport.
The tour comes amid rumors of a surge in ICE agents working in Central Florida, particularly in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties.
Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Orlando, said he confirmed that ICE had made “pretty large” hotel reservations in the area.
We are reaching out to Central Florida’s other representatives to get their perspective as well.
[WATCH: Interview with Rep. Randy Fine after ICE agent shoots, kilsl woman in Minneapolis]
Last week, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that “Operation Tidal Wave,” an immigration-enforcement operation launched last April in conjunction with DHS, has resulted in more than 10,000 arrests. It is not clear if claims about an increased presence of immigration agents may be related to that operation.
Staff for State Rep. Darren Soto, D-Kissimmee, told News 6 that they were also tracking reports from constituents about ICE agents in their district.
Soto sent this statement to News 6 Friday:
“We have reached out to ICE to inquire about this facility or any other being considered in Florida’s Ninth Congressional District. We oppose locating these facilities in our community, given the history of abuses and tearing local families apart.”