British Columbia’s attorney general says business leaders in the province need to consider whether their decisions could contribute to an immigration crackdown in the United States that she and others are watching “in horror.”
Niki Sharma’s remarks come after it emerged that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is planning to buy a building owned by the property arm of Vancouver-based conglomerate Jim Pattison Group to use as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement “holding and processing” facility.
Asked about the potential sale of the warehouse in Virginia, Sharma says B.C. and Canadian business figures need “to think about their role in what is unfolding” in the U.S.
Two people have been shot dead amid the crackdown in Minneapolis, triggering widespread protests.
Sharma says at an unrelated press conference in Vancouver that Canadian business leaders must “make decisions that would not lead to some of the outcomes” that are unfolding in the U.S.
Homeland Security sent a letter to the Hanover County planning department in Hanover, Va., last Wednesday, sharing its intent to “purchase, occupy and rehabilitate” the warehouse property owned by Jim Pattison Developments.
Property records show Jim Pattison Developments bought the building for roughly C$10.4 million in 2022 and the site is expected to be valued at around C$69 million this year, following improvements.
The Jim Pattison Group and Jim Pattison Developments did not immediately return requests for comment.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 27, 2026.
Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press
