Jim Pattison won't sell U.S. warehouse proposed as new ICE facility

[Spazito]

Jim Pattison Developments has announced it will not sell an industrial building in Ashland, Va., that was set to be turned into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing facility.

The development company, owned by B.C. billionaire and philanthropist Jim Pattison, sent out a single-sentence statement Friday, saying, "The transaction to sell our industrial building in Ashland, Virginia will not be proceeding."

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Jan. 21, in a letter sent to Hanover County officials in Virginia, that it planned to purchase the 17.6-hectare (43.49-acre) warehouse property for ICE operations, which could have included "holding and processing spaces."



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The proposed deal caused backlash in B.C. and drew criticism from the leader of the B.C. Green Party, who called for a boycott of Pattison's Save-On-Foods grocery stores.

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The company said the transaction was subject to certain approvals and closing conditions and that, as a matter of policy, it does not comment on private transactions.

"However, we understand that the conversation around immigration policy and enforcement is particularly heated, and has become much more so over the past few weeks," the company said in its Wednesday statement. "We respect that this issue is deeply important to many people."

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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/jim-pattison-industrial-building-won-t-sell-ice-9.7068494