# Choctaw Nation puts the kibosh on a proposed ICE facility in Durant, OK **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [March 27, 2026, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choctaw-nation-puts-the-kibosh-on-a-proposed-ice-facility-in-durant-ok/1028831 "2026-03-27T23:24:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2026, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choctaw-nation-puts-the-kibosh-on-a-proposed-ice-facility-in-durant-ok/1028831/1 "2026-03-27T23:24:34Z")
Good for them! TL : DR - ICE wanted a former Big Lots distribution warehouse for their use, and the Choctaw Nation blocked them in every way. Good for them! > **[Choctaw Nation purchases facility at heart of ICE detention center rumor](https://okcfox.com/news/local/choctaw-nation-purchases-facility-at-heart-of-ice-detention-center-rumor)** > > A recent move by the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma is putting to rest rumors about a possible Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center near the t ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2026, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choctaw-nation-puts-the-kibosh-on-a-proposed-ice-facility-in-durant-ok/1028831/2 "2026-03-27T23:31:49Z")
Except that condemnation at eminent domain is a thing. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2026, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choctaw-nation-puts-the-kibosh-on-a-proposed-ice-facility-in-durant-ok/1028831/3 "2026-03-27T23:36:32Z")
Hope it holds. Oklahoma has been nasty to the Native AMERICANs for many decades. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2026, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choctaw-nation-puts-the-kibosh-on-a-proposed-ice-facility-in-durant-ok/1028831/4 "2026-03-27T23:38:20Z")
Not if it’s on tribal land! Eminent domain wouldn’t be impossible, but it would be a LOT more difficult. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2026, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choctaw-nation-puts-the-kibosh-on-a-proposed-ice-facility-in-durant-ok/1028831/5 "2026-03-27T23:47:10Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Eminent domain wouldn’t be impossible, Indeed. But all it would require would be a court friendly to the Government’s position and willing to overrule or limit tribal sovereignty. I wonder where they could find that? ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2026, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choctaw-nation-puts-the-kibosh-on-a-proposed-ice-facility-in-durant-ok/1028831/6 "2026-03-27T23:50:44Z")
I don’t remember all the ins and outs of invoking eminent domain over tribal lands, but the Bureau of Indian Affairs takes the lead for federally recognized tribes, IIRC. In the current administration, it might be a slam dunk. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2026, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choctaw-nation-puts-the-kibosh-on-a-proposed-ice-facility-in-durant-ok/1028831/7 "2026-03-27T23:51:03Z")
Has condemnation of tribal properties by the U.S. court system been successful in the recent past? ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2026, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choctaw-nation-puts-the-kibosh-on-a-proposed-ice-facility-in-durant-ok/1028831/8 "2026-03-27T23:55:10Z")
It happens, although not often. It’s usually not a big deal, as far as the condemning agency is concerned. IME, however, I worked for a state agency that had condemnation authority, and it usually tried to avoid tribal lands not because it was more expensive that the tribes represented a greater challenge, but because working with the BIA was a huge disincentive. Federal bureaucracies can be miserable, and the BIA was known for dragging it’s feet. In the instant case, however, I would imagine significant pressure coming from the Executive Branch, which would probably work out a lot of those bureaucratic kinks.