Maryland Latest Site For Rapid and Reckless Expansion of Immigration Detention

Maryland Latest Site For Rapid and Reckless Expansion of Immigration Detention

Local groups submit amicus brief to prevent further construction on retrofitting warehouse

Contacts

Erin Fitzgerald, [email protected]

Today, a coalition of environmental and community organizations, represented by Earthjustice and the Center for Biological Diversity, filed an amicus briefin the State of Maryland's case to stop a proposed mass detention facility in Hagerstown, Maryland.

In January 2026, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) purchased a vacant commercial warehouse in Williamsport, Maryland, a small town with a population of 2,000 people, with plans to retrofit the facility into a detention center to hold up to 1,500 immigrant detainees. This project is part of a broader trend of ICE & DHS acquiring warehouses across the country to rapidly expand their mass incarceration capacity, which includes the processing and detaining of tens of thousands of immigrants across the United States.

This warehouse is not fit for human habitation. Federal law, including the National Environmental Policy Act and the Administrative Procedures Act, require DHS to engage in review processes to consider the environmental and human health impacts of its proposal, ensure minimal harm, and identify reasonable alternatives. However, the agencies have failed to consider the environmental and health burdens on detainees or the communities living near the detention center.

"Immigration and Customs Enforcement is not above the law," said Deena Tumeh, Earthjustice Senior Attorney. "In violation of federal law, ICE failed to consider the environmental-to say nothing of the human-impacts of its plan. If ICE is allowed to move forward, the local environment and community, potential detainees, and the State of Maryland will suffer irreparable harm."

Despite the concerns raised by local groups in February, DHS barreled forward with construction in early March. Local groups' concerns included DHS's failure to consider issues concerning wastewater, stormwater, nearby waterways, or emergency measures. The Court issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting DHS from continuing construction. The State of Maryland now seeks a preliminary injunction that would prevent DHS and ICE from engaging in any construction or other activities intended to retrofit the warehouse until they complete a more comprehensive analysis process, including meaningful public comment and participation.

As the federal government pursues rapid and reckless expansion of immigration detention nationally, communities continue to reiterate their concerns with the inadequacy of DHS and ICE's environmental review when purchasing warehouses for retrofitting for detention and have also cited the risks the facility creates to local communities and ecosystems. Proper assessment would reduce harm to thousands of people DHS seeks to detain in inhumane conditions, as well as neighboring communities who rely on the area's sewage system, stormwater system, and waterways for drinking water and recreation.

Earthjustice is representing Potomac Riverkeepers Network and Washington Country Indivisible, alongside the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland (ACLU MD), and the Maryland Office of the Attorney General.

Quotes from Clients and Partners:

"Washington County deserves accountability, transparency, and leadership that reflects the will of its residents-not backroom alignment with federal detention expansion," said Eric Schwartz, Washington County Indivisible Co-Founder."This decision affects our neighbors and infrastructure. And it was made without meaningful public participation. This detention center and the federal policies that come with it threaten civil liberties, economic stability, and community trust."

"Potamac Riverkeepers Network stands in solidarity with this community and their frustration over the plans for this warehouse facility," said Brent Walls, Upper Potomac Riverkeeper and Program Director. "Additionally, we have serious concerns about the impacts on local streams, water contamination, and the significant increase on local sewer systems and waste water treatment plants."

We are proud to join local elected officials and community members seeking basic information and a voice in DHS's secret, rushed and ill-conceived plans for a massive detention center in their small community," said Sonia Kumar, Senior Staff Attorney, ACLU Maryland. "The more information we learn, the clearer it becomes that this cruel undertaking to put human beings in warehouses "like Amazon prime packages" is not just wrong - it's a giant waste of resources utterly disconnected from practical reality or the real investments that American communities deserve."

"Preventable deaths inside detention facilities continue to climb. As ICE continues their relentless expansion, these types of deaths will skyrocket," said Family Physician, Kate Sugarman, MD. "These facilities are overcrowded, lack access to proper ventilation and clean water, and restrict access to basic hygiene measures, all of which endanger the health of people in detention. Despite their massive amounts of funding for their mass incarceration scheme, ICE and DHS have been negligent in providing appropriate and timely medical care for those in detention, adding insult to injury."

"We're standing with the state of Maryland because this proposed detention center breaks the law and the hearts of all Americans who care about their communities," said Laurel Jobe, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity."The lack of transparency and environmental review surrounding this cruel facility could have severe consequences for wildlife, water quality and people's health."

About Earthjustice

Earthjustice is the premier nonprofit environmental law organization. We wield the power of law and the strength of partnership to protect people's health, to preserve magnificent places and wildlife, to advance clean energy, and to combat climate change. We are here because the earth needs a good lawyer.