Advocacy groups are raising concerns over a warehouse in Washington County that is slated to become an Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing facility after dozens of black SUVs were moved to the warehouse’s parking lot on Sunday.
“When federal enforcement vehicles begin lining the warehouse lot, it sends a clear message about what’s taking shape in our community,” said the organizer of Hagerstown Rapid Response, Claire Connor. “We refuse to let ICE quietly plant roots in Washington County without transparency, accountability and community consent.”
The 825,620-square-foot warehouse is located at 16220 Wright Road in Williamsport. Access to the facility was blocked by orange traffic barriers and signs outlining regulations and “governing conduct on federal property” with the Department of Homeland Security emblem at the top of the page.
In late January, Washington County issued a news release stating that on Jan. 14, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security sent a letter to the county’s historic district commission and department of planning and zoning regarding the property.
The letter indicated that DHS was analyzing the potential purchase of the warehouse to establish a “new ICE Baltimore processing facility” capable of housing 1,500 people at a time.
Elements of the new facility that were mentioned in the letter included the construction of holding and processing spaces; office space; public-facing visitor space and installation amenities like cafeterias, bathrooms and health care spaces, the county said.
The county said DHS also plans to upgrade the facility by adding fencing, lighting, recreation areas, cameras and guard shacks.
Washington County said that it is not able to “legally restrict” the federal government’s ability to proceed with the project.
Since DHS’s intentions of using the facility became public, Hagerstown Rapid Response and other advocacy groups have voiced their opposition to the project through weekly protests, speaking during public hearings and a change.org petition that has more than 190 signatures opposing ICE’s use of the warehouse.
Signage and roadblocks were in place at a Washington County facility that appeared to be receiving a fleet of vehicles for Immigration, Customs and Enforcement. (Matthew Hubbard/Staff)
“You can’t tell a community this is just a warehouse when federal vehicles are rolling in and staging on site,” said Kate Rader with the advocacy group, Washington County Indivisible. “Washington County deserves [honesty] and we deserve the right to decide what kind of future we’re building here.”
In February, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown filed a federal complaint against the Department of Homeland Security over its plans for the $100 million facility.
The protests and public backlash regarding the project were cited in Brown’s lawsuit, which also accuses the federal government of ignoring public input on the project and environmental concerns.
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