Plans for an ICE Detention Center Spark Anger in a Deep-Red Maryland County

In this bright-red pocket of an otherwise deep-blue state, many of President Donald Trump’s positions are popular with residents, particularly his pledge to shut down borders and deport people who are in the country illegally.

{snip}

But in December, county residents learned that the Department of Homeland Security planned to convert an enormous empty warehouse in Williamsport into a detention center that would house as many as 1,500 people arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Though the president still had his supporters, the news didn’t land well with everyone. Some residents were hostile to an ICE facility opening, and others worried their county would become another hot spot in the rancorous nationwide debate over how immigration should be enforced.

With the facility now expected to begin operating next month, according to a person briefed on the plan, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal agency matters, still more residents are frustrated by what they say has been a lack of public input over the decision.

{snip}

DHS purchased the Williamsport warehouse in mid-January. Built in 2022, the 830,00‑square‑foot building on 53 acres in an industrial park will be retrofitted “to provide short‑term housing for individuals in immigration custody awaiting immigration processing and related administrative procedures,” according to a recent DHS notice.

The facility would be encircled by 6,700 linear feet of perimeter fencing. Among the changes proposed for the existing structure are a security checkpoint, exterior recreation courts, exterior lighting and security cameras.

{snip}

Anger at the proposed detainment facility was evident at the Feb. 10 meeting of the Washington County Board of Commissioners in Hagerstown, where the members, all Republicans, unanimously passed a resolution expressing support for DHS and ICE.

The board’s statement, which didn’t mention the facility specifically, was largely symbolic. The county says it has no say over how the warehouse is used because it is owned by the federal government.

{snip}

In another statement on Monday, an ICE spokesperson suggested that the detention facility would be an economic boon.

Construction and operation of the site is “expected to bring 1,125 jobs to the area and would contribute $120.6 million in GDP,” the statement said. “It’s also projected to bring in about $28.8 million in tax revenue.”

{snip}

The debate over the planned use for the warehouse comes as immigrants and their advocates are preparing for a new surge of ICE enforcement in Maryland, with reports of agency SUVs parked outside various locations, including the warehouse in Williamsport, circulating on social media in recent weeks.

{snip}