The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has dropped plans to open immigration detention centers in Schuylkill and Berks counties, U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser said Friday.
“My office has been informed directly that DHS, under the leadership of Secretary Markwayne Mullin, has advanced immigration enforcement plans that will not include the proposed detention or processing centers in Berks or Schuylkill counties,” Meuser said in a statement.
The announcement publicly confirms reporting published June 18 by The New York Times and a statement issued Monday by U.S. Sen. John Fetterman.
Citing an undisclosed DHS document, the newspaper said the two proposed centers were among seven that would not move forward. In an emailed statement Monday, Fetterman, a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said he was “pleased to confirm” the centers would not happen but did not cite a source. His office did not respond to a follow up email.
In an emailed statement earlier this week, DHS said it’s “moving swiftly to utilize EXISTING detention space with our state and county partners,” but would not specifically confirm it no longer planned to open the Pennsylvania centers.
DHS plans evolved
In his statement, Meuser said the Trump administration’s plans “evolved based on operational needs and, in large part, the extensive due diligence conducted by county and local officials, working alongside my office to ensure the best possible outcome for the community. The careful review of the proposed sites and engagement with DHS played an important role throughout this process.”
He said he will report on the sites’ futures once he learns definitively.
DHS paid millions
Homeland Security bought buildings for the proposed centers in January. The agency, which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement, paid $119.5 million for a 1.3-million-square-foot former Big Lots warehouse on Rausch Creek Road in Tremont Twp., Schuylkill County. ICE planned to house up to 7,500 detainees there as part of a nationwide plan to expand its detention capacity.
The department also paid $87.4 million for a 520,000-square-foot warehouse on Mountain Road in Upper Bern Twp., Berks County. That was meant as a processing center housing up to 1,500 detainees.
The department paid more than $700 million for the seven centers it plans to sell or give to other agencies, the New York Times reported. It paid $1 billion for 11 facilities and plans to keep four.
Locals really worried
Local residents and officials raised serious concerns about the plans. In Schuylkill County, they cited the loss of almost $1 million in property tax revenue because the federal government is tax-exempt; the lack of adequate water and sewage disposal capacity; and unresolved questions about security and other emergency services.
Through Meuser, DHS promised to address the matters, but the state Department of Environmental Protection intervened. DEP issued letters asking Homeland Security and ICE to prove the centers can meet state and federal drinking water quality, clean streams and sewage treatment standards. Dissatisfied, the agencies instead asked for more time, and DEP issued orders demanding proof.
DHS responded by arguing DEP’s orders are unreasonable, premature, too broad, abuse the agency’s regulatory discretion and interfere with enforcement of the nation’s immigration laws.
The department appealed to the state Environmental Hearing Board. As of Friday, the case remained pending.
Read more immigration coverage here.
