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Gov. Wes Moore to Meet Leaders Over Proposed ICE Detention Center
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and U.S. Rep. April McClain Delaney are expected to meet with local leaders in Washington County on Monday as concerns continue to grow over plans to build a new Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center near Hagerstown.
The roundtable discussion will give state officials an opportunity to hear directly from community stakeholders about the proposed project and its potential impact on the region.
Concerns began surfacing after ICE confirmed it had purchased a warehouse located at 16220 Wright Road in Williamsport. The agency plans to convert the site into an immigration detention facility that could house up to 1,500 people.
Officials with the Department of Homeland Security said the facility would meet established detention standards and would not resemble a traditional warehouse. An ICE spokesperson said the agency is working to expand detention capacity nationwide as part of ongoing law enforcement efforts.
While the Washington County Board of County Commissioners has voiced support for the project and approved a resolution welcoming the facility, several state lawmakers have pushed back. In a letter to DHS and ICE, a group of state senators and delegates expressed concerns about how the center could strain local public health resources, infrastructure and emergency response services.
Progress on the project has also been slowed in the courts. Last week, a federal judge extended an order temporarily halting construction after Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown filed an emergency motion. The judge is expected to hear additional arguments in mid April.
Brown previously filed a lawsuit in early March alleging that federal officials moved forward with the project without completing a required environmental review or allowing public input. The lawsuit also claims federal agencies are ignoring existing legal requirements while attempting to fast track immigration detention expansion efforts across the country.
