Jim Pattison Developments said Friday that its proposed sale of a warehouse in Virginia to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will not proceed.

The Vancouver-based company issued a terse one-sentence news release without other offering any other details on why or how the deal was scuttled. The announcement came after Pattison said it did not know that the proposed deal would ultimately be connected to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

ICE is part of DHS, and the department had planned to purchase the 43.5-acre site for use as an ICE holding and processing facility.

The discontinued deal drew criticism from many people and organizations in B.C., other parts of Canada and the U.S. due to ICE’s crackdown on illegal immigrants, a move that has drawn many protests in Canada and the U.S.

American federal agents recently shot and killed two people in Minneapolis recently, contributing to the onslaught of protests.

Jim Pattison Developments is a subsidiary of the Jim Pattison Group, a conglomerate that holds numerous commercial real estate assets across a wide array of industries throughout B.C., the rest of Canada and the U.S. The Jim Pattison Group was created in 1961 by legendary Vancouver-based billionaire Jimmy Pattison, 97, who originally made his fortune selling automobiles.

Many individuals in Canada and the U.S. called for a boycott of Pattison’s Save-On-Foods grocery stores and other businesses, creating a public-relations firestorm for the entrepreneur known for his philanthropy, particularly in the areas of medical research and medical-building development. A protest was scheduled for Friday outside the Jim Pattison Group’s headquarters in Vancouver.

In a previous statement posted on the Jim Pattison Developments website, the company said the industrial building in Ashland, Va., was completed in early 2024 for its own operational use. When those needs changed, the property was publicly listed for lease or sale, and an offer was accepted from a U.S. government contractor.

“Some time later, we became aware of the ultimate owner and intended use of the building,” Jim Pattison Developments said, adding that the transaction “is still subject to certain approvals and closing conditions.”

The company said it does not comment on private transactions as a matter of policy but acknowledged the heightened public debate surrounding immigration enforcement in the United States.

The Pattison facility’s site in Ashland is part of Hanover County. The county’s board voted unanimously against the proposed sale to ICE.

“A DHS facility at this property on Lakeridge Parkway is not consistent with the established land use for this business, residential and commerce area,” Board of Supervisors Chair Sean Davis after the vote.

The county did not have any authority to veto the proposed deal but said it would lobby U.S. senators and representative while also exploring legal options.

Photo: Jim Pattison Developments warehouse in Ashland, Va.

Photo: Jim Pattison Developments