Maryland Lawmaker Pushes Back as ICE Vehicles Reportedly Arrive at Future Detention Center

The Trump administration’s mass deportation program may be set to ramp up in Maryland, according to a watchdog group and a member of the state’s congressional delegation.

A fleet of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) vehicles has reportedly arrived at a Maryland facility that some lawmakers are fighting to prevent from being used as a mass detention center.

Photos provided by the group “Hagerstown Rapid Response” appear to show what the group says is a fleet of vehicles purchased by the federal government, which arrived at a facility in Hagerstown.

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Last week, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown announced that he had sued the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and ICE to block work on the facility in Williamsport, near Hagerstown, claiming that the federal government had not conducted an environmental review of the project or opened the proposal for public comment.

The 28-page lawsuit says DHS and ICE are disregarding federal law, while moving quickly to implement the Trump administration’s nationwide detention center agenda.

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The lawsuit states that ICE purchased the 54-acre facility near Hagerstown on Jan. 16 for $102.4 million. The property was built to serve as a commercial facility and has warehouse space, offices, four toilets and two water fountains.

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The attorney general also said it is required for agencies and commercial developers to conduct environmental reviews before taking federal actions that impact the environment, which includes assessing environmental impacts and providing opportunities for public feedback.

According to the lawsuit, DHS and ICE violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) by buying the facility without conducting environmental assessments.

The lawsuit also raised concerns about the detention center’s impact on the air quality, traffic, public health and safety, along with inhumane holding conditions and access to medical care.

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Several Maryland lawmakers have expressed concerns after learning of ICE’s plans to open a detention center near Hagerstown, in Washington County, which will serve as a 1,500 person immigration detention facility, according to a letter sent from Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks and U.S. Rep. April McLain Delaney to the Washington County Board of County Commissioners.

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