Broken Promises

The 1000 District Ave Paper Trail

The Short Version

2005: Developer eyes lucrative government contract
2006: ICE slips through the cracks, as the building inspector declares detention cells an "accessory use"
2007: Town puts up a fight; developer threatens lawsuit
2008: Town backs down due to cost
17 years pass
2025: The "1-2 hour" processing center behind the mall becomes an illegal prison

Town documents on this page are sourced from the Burlington OpenGov portal. The federal lease was obtained through a FOIA request to the General Services Administration. News articles from the Boston Globe archives.

The Full Story

2005-2006: The Deal

Robert Murray's firm, Murray Hills Inc., bought 10 New England Executive Park in early 2005 for $4.75 million. Shortly after, Murray Hills bid on a proposal from the US General Services Administration seeking office space for ICE in the Boston area.

They won a 10-year, $15.4-million lease (seven years firm with an option for ICE to renew for three more) that called for Murray to make $1.8 million in improvements. (Boston Globe, Dec 16, 2007)

ICE had already tried to establish headquarters in Lexington and Charlestown, but both communities rejected the plan. As Town Meeting Member Rob Schlansky later wrote, ICE "somehow slipped through the cracks in Burlington." (See email)

In September 2006, the Planning Board approved a "Minor Engineering Change" for the property: an additional entrance, fencing, parking changes, and an emergency generator. The approval makes no mention of detention or holding cells. (Planning Board Decision)

October-November 2007: The Town Finds Out

The town's elected officials had no idea what was coming. Selectman Walter Zenkin found out by accident, at a Red Sox playoff game:

"These people expressed astonishment that Burlington had approved the establishment of a deportation center in town. I was surprised at the amount of detail they had about a project which I knew nothing."

— Walter Zenkin, Burlington Selectman (Wicked Local, Dec 2007)

Zenkin called the town administrator the next morning. He had no knowledge of the project either. After meeting with ICE officials, Zenkin's question remained:

"Why didn't town officials know what was going on? We should certainly have been informed."

— Walter Zenkin (Wicked Local, Dec 2007)

Word spread. Residents were anxious. The Board of Selectmen chairman summed up the situation:

"It's really turned into quite a mess... It's a hornet's nest that's stirred up."

— Albert L. Fay Jr., Chairman of the Board of Selectmen (Boston Globe, Nov 15, 2007)

Officials scrambled to provide answers. After touring the facility and meeting with ICE officials, Police Chief Fran Hart wrote to residents, assuring them the facility posed "very minimal risk":

"The most important fact to state is that no detainees will be lodged overnight."
"While there will be three secure holding areas, there will be no bed space."
"These holding areas are designed to house detainees for a very short time — 1-2 hours."

(Police Chief Hart's Letter, Nov 2, 2007)

ICE Regional Director Bruce Chadbourne made the same promise at a public meeting:

"You will note that we have no kitchens and no dining rooms, and therefore we cannot keep people overnight or over the weekend."

— Bruce Chadbourne, ICE New England Regional Director, Wicked Local, Dec 2007

And ICE? They were confident this would all blow over:

"We run a very low-key operation. Once we get going, I don't think anyone's even going to know that we're here."

— Bruce Chadbourne, ICE New England Regional Director (Boston Globe, Dec 16, 2007)

December 2007: The Town Fights Back

On December 6, 2007, the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to set a Special Town Meeting. The question: Should Burlington hire lawyers to challenge the project? (Boston Globe, Dec 6, 2007)

Many residents believed the holding rooms should never have been allowed under local zoning bylaws. The building inspector had classified them as an "accessory use" since they comprised less than 5% of the building, but opponents argued this was wrong.

On December 19, Town Meeting voted 64 to 26 to interview lawyers and consider a legal challenge. (Boston Globe, Dec 23, 2007)

December 2007: Murray Threatens the Town

Before the vote, Murray wrote directly to Town Meeting Members, urging them to back down. The letter included a legal threat from his attorney at Greenberg Traurig warning of potential lawsuits if they proceeded. (Murray's Letter, Dec 14, 2007)

Murray was confident:

"It's going to go to trial if they go through with [a legal challenge]. And I just don't see how they can win this case. I don't believe we did any wrongdoing, and I don't think the building inspector did anything wrong."

— Robert Murray (Boston Globe, Jan 24, 2008)

January 2008: The Town Backs Down

The lawyers said a full legal fight could cost $175,000. Town Meeting members had to decide: Was it worth it? (Boston Globe, Jan 24, 2008)

"Emotionally I want to fight this fight, but fiscally I don't."

— Thomas C. Killilea, Town Meeting member (Boston Globe, Jan 31, 2008)

On January 28, 2008, Town Meeting voted 51 to 44 against funding the $100,000 legal challenge.

"If this doesn't pass, my friends, the show is over. They'll be coming down to Town Hall, probably tomorrow, to get their certificate of occupancy for the holding cells."

— Robert G. Schlansky, Town Meeting subcommittee member (Boston Globe, Jan 31, 2008)

ICE got their certificate of occupancy. The holding cells opened. (Boston Globe, Jan 31, 2008)

2008-2024: Seventeen Years of Silence

For 17 years, the facility operated largely out of the public eye. People were processed, held for "an hour or two," and transferred to county jails, exactly as promised.

Murray continued to collect rent. The lease was renewed. By 2024, the annual rent had grown to over $2 million per year.

2025: The Promises Break

Then Trump took office for a second time, implemented quotas for ICE to follow regardless of logistics, and everything changed.

In May 2025, lawyers began reporting that people were being held at the Burlington facility not for hours, but for days. They were sleeping on concrete floors with mylar blankets. There were no beds, exactly as promised in 2007, but now people were being forced to stay anyway. (WBUR, June 5, 2025)

"There is no privacy, no beds, no medical care, very limited food. It's absolutely inhumane."

— Sarah Sherman-Stokes, BU Immigrants' Rights clinic (WBUR, June 2025)

WBUR analysis found over 2,700 people were booked into Burlington between January and July 2025. Over 1,000 were held for multiple days. One person was held for 20 days. (WBUR, Sept 17, 2025)

In October 2025, Burlington Town Meeting voted overwhelmingly to condemn the "inhuman treatment of detainees" at the facility. (GBH, Oct 7, 2025)

Rep. Seth Moulton toured the facility:

"What I saw was a processing facility, not a detention facility. It's not a place that anyone should be made to stay for more than a few hours, let alone overnight."

— Rep. Seth Moulton (WBUR, July 2025)

2026: Murray's Silence

In 2007, ICE promised the town would barely notice them. Murray threatened to sue the town if they tried to stop him. He got his $15 million lease.

Now everyone knows what's happening in his building. And Murray?

[No comment]

— Robert Murray has not responded to any requests for comment from WBUR or anyone else about the current conditions at his building. (WBUR, March 2026)

Murray still owns the building. He also owns Cafe Escadrille in Burlington, both the building and the restaurant in full. He owns numerous other properties in Burlington, Woburn, and surrounding towns. His lease with ICE runs through December 31, 2028.

The Documents

Below are the primary source documents that tell this story.

The Federal Lease

GSA Lease (Obtained via FOIA)

Download Full Lease (53 pages)

The federal government leases the building from Robert Murray's company, TEN, LLC. The original 2007 lease and subsequent amendments reveal key details about what the government is paying, and what it promised the building would be used for.

The Space Was Leased as "Office" Space

The original lease (GS-01B-04430) describes the property as:

"An area of 42,225 Rentable Square Feet... of office and general purpose space... to be used for general Government purposes as determined by the General Services Administration."

There is no mention of detention, holding cells, or custodial use in the original lease language. The building was solicited as office space for a government agency.

What the Government Pays

The current renewal (Amendment 17, signed June 2023) runs through December 31, 2028. Annual rent paid to Murray's TEN, LLC:

2024: $2,085,748.66
2025: $2,127,973.66 (+/- CPI adjustment)
2026: $2,212,423.66 (+/- CPI adjustment)
2027: $2,254,557.66 (+/- CPI adjustment)
2028: $2,339,098.66 (+/- CPI adjustment)

For comparison, the original 2007 rent was $1,469,430 per year.

Legal Requirements in the Lease

The lease includes multiple requirements for legal compliance:

OSHA Requirements: "The lessor shall maintain buildings and space in a safe and healthful condition according to OSHA standards."
Hazardous Materials: "The leased space shall be free of hazardous materials according to applicable federal, state, and local environmental regulations."
Compliance with Applicable Law: The lease references GSA General Clauses 552.270-8, requiring compliance with applicable state and local laws.

The question remains: Does holding people for days without beds, adequate food, or medical care in an office building described to the town as a short-term processing facility comply with "applicable law" and OSHA standards?

2022 Renovation Plans

Download PDF (11 pages)

Architectural plans for bathroom renovations at the facility. These plans reveal important details about the building's current use:

Building code classification: "MIXED USE - A-3 / B / I-3" (I-3 is institutional/detention use)
References "DETAINEE AND TRAINING AREAS" with dedicated restrooms
Shows the layout of the employee areas vs. detention areas

Historical Records

Certificates of Occupancy

Download PDF (18 pages) — ICE Certificate of Occupancy (Feb 2008)

Property File

Download PDF — ICE Property File

Floor Plans

Download PDF — Revised Bathroom Plans

Note: The floor plan drawings label the detainee area as "not for occupancy."

Additional Permit Documents

Permit 25-7 (2006-2007 Original Approval)

Permit BP-22-11 (2022 Renovation)

Note: 1000 District Ave was originally known as 10 NEEP (New England Executive Park). The address was changed when the area rebranded to "The District."

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