The Playbook
Here’s what’s worked in fights around the country. Organized by Stage.
Stage 1: Before a Project is Confirmed – Watching For The Warning Signs
ICE is counting on catching communities unaware. The earlier you catch a warning sign, the more options you have.
What to Do
Monitor where ICE is considering, targeting, purchasing, or re-opening warehouses, prisons, and other facilities for conversion into detention centers at Project Salt Box | Substack. They track the full range: prospective sites, active listings, completed purchases, paused deals, cancelled sales, and facilities already under construction or pending reopening.
Watch for early signals: zoning filings, unusual industrial property sales, and permit applications that don't match a property's history.
Victories At This Stage
In December 2025, the Department of Homeland Security sent an email to the City of Oklahoma City inquiring about a warehouse at 2800 S. Council Road, requesting a response within 30 calendar days. At no point did city officials alert residents to this request.
By mid-January, out-of-state activists alerted Oklahoma City organizers to a leak showing this warehouse was one of several locations nationwide ICE was considering. Local activists immediately began informing the community through social media, video, outreach, and by contacting local news outlets, well before the city said anything publicly.
Stage 2: A Facility Has Been Proposed or Purchased, Not Yet Converted
This is the highest-leverage window. The property isn't a detention center yet, which means there are still ways to stop the sale or the conversion outright.
What to Do
Contact local leaders
Contact federal, state, local, and tribal elected leaders:
Find your federal, state, and local representatives at Common Cause
Your representatives in the US House and Senate have oversight over the Department of Homeland Security and can visit ICE facilities and question ICE leaders during congressional hearings.
Victories At This Stage
In December 2025, the Department of Homeland Security sent an email to the City of Oklahoma City inquiring about a warehouse at 2800 S. Council Road, requesting a response within 30 calendar days. At no point did city officials alert residents to this request.
By mid-January, out-of-state activists alerted Oklahoma City organizers to a leak showing this warehouse was one of several locations nationwide ICE was considering. Local activists immediately began informing the community through social media, video, outreach, and by contacting local news outlets, well before the city said anything publicly.