Shapiro Admin Confirms Proposed ICE Detention Centers Will Not Move Forward | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Harrisburg, PA - Today, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has withdrawn its appeals of the Shapiro Administration's administrative orders that forbid DHS from using the water or sewer infrastructure needed to convert warehouses in Berks and Schuylkill counties into immigration detention centers. The withdrawal follows written confirmation from DHS to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) that ICE "will not be using [either] Property as a detention center."

As a result of the withdrawal, the Shapiro Administration's administrative orders will be final and remain in effect, protecting communities in Berks and Schuylkill counties. DEP will continue closely monitoring these facilities to ensure DHS follows through on its stated intention.

"From the beginning, I've been clear that these warehouses should not be used as ICE detention centers because they are not suitable for people and converting them to detention centers would have posed serious risks to the health, safety, and infrastructure of the surrounding communities," said Governor Josh Shapiro. "My Administration stood with local leaders and residents, enforced Pennsylvania law, and worked across agencies to protect people from being held in these warehouses and to protect the surrounding communities."

Since the federal government first announced plans to convert the warehouses into large-scale detention centers, Governor Josh Shapiro has consistently opposed the proposal because of the serious health, safety, environmental, and economic risks it posed to surrounding communities.

In February, the Governor convened a roundtable discussion with local elected officials and community leaders from Berks and Schuylkill counties, joined by leaders from the Pennsylvania Departments of Health, Labor & Industry, and Environmental Protection, to hear directly from communities and coordinate the Commonwealth's response. Prior to that meeting, Governor Shapiro and leaders in his Administration sent two separate letters to DHS outlining the Commonwealth's concerns with the current federal administration's immigration policies and detailing the strain the proposed detention centers would place on local infrastructure and emergency services, and identifying potential violations of Pennsylvania law.

The Shapiro Administration worked alongside local elected officials and residents in Berks and Schuylkill counties, where bipartisan opposition to the proposed detention centers grew as communities raised concerns about the impact the facilities would have on public safety, infrastructure, water and sewer systems, and local taxpayers.

The proposed detention centers would have housed up to 9,000 people across the two sites, dramatically increasing demands on local water, sewer, emergency response, and other public infrastructure.

In Upper Bern Township, the proposed facility would have detained up to 1,500 people, placing significant strain on local wastewater treatment capacity, emergency services, and municipal resources while eliminating hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual local property tax revenue.

In Tremont Township, the proposed facility would have detained up to 7,500 people, requiring water demands that exceeded the community's existing capacity, straining emergency services, and resulting in the loss of approximately $1 million annually in local property tax revenue.

Governor Shapiro has consistently maintained that Pennsylvania welcomes economic development and federal investment when projects comply with state law and will benefit local communities. Throughout this process, the Shapiro Administration focused on enforcing Pennsylvania's environmental protections and ensuring the health and safety of nearby residents remained the priority.

DEP has also sent letters to DHS acknowledging the withdrawal and noting that the administrative orders remain in effect.