ICE Detention Warehouse: Rep. McClain Delaney’s Constituents Speak Out as Public Comment Deadline Nears

WASHINGTON, D.C.-Today, Rep. April McClain Delaney (MD-06) sent another letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to amplify the voices of her constituents who largely remain opposed and concerned about plans to transform a commercial warehouse in Washington County, Maryland, into a massive 1,500-bed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility. The letter comes as DHS remains embattled in a lawsuit with the State of Maryland and was ordered by a judge to halt construction.

"The residents of Western and Mountain Maryland have made their disapproval of this project clear, and as their Representative in Congress it is my duty to ensure that their voices are heard, and to demand that the Department's plan be abandoned," wrote Rep. McClain Delaney. "As I have shared in prior correspondence and comment letters, my constituents should not be forced to live with the impacts of such a facility on our environment, our infrastructure, or our community's moral fabric."

The Congresswoman's letter was also submitted as part of DHS' public scoping request seeking public feedback on potential environmental issues or concerns, which remains open through Wednesday, July 1.

"A project of this scale demands more than the cursory Environmental Assessment that DHS has proposed. The communities that would carry the public safety, infrastructure, and environmental burdens created by this detention facility deserve a comprehensive review and a full Environmental Impact Statement, complete with community input - prior to continued development," wrote the Congresswoman. "While the Department may wish to ignore the residents of Maryland's Sixth District, we will not be silenced."

"On a personal note, I believe that these warehouses represent a grave threat to American ideals. The tragic, preventable deaths that have occurred at the hands of DHS officials have undermined trust in our institutions and have failed to meet our values. As the Representative for Maryland's Sixth District, I will take all steps necessary to ensure that fundamental constitutional and human rights are protected throughout the nation," she concluded.

The Congresswoman received nearly 2,000 responses to an official office survey that she distributed earlier this month via her weekly newsletter, media appearances, and social media posts. Nearly 80% of responses received were opposed to the facility. Her letter included several constituent responses, including concerns about human rights, environmental impacts, strains on local infrastructure, and the burden this facility would place on tax payers.

A resident of Frederick wrote: "I am a public school teacher. My students, whose parents are documented or otherwise, should not be afraid to come to school. My students should not be disappearing from the rosters because an innocent parent was detained and good families have to return to the parents' country of birth to beg for their release. ICE is ripping our communities apart, violating our constitutional rights, and acting in opposition to every ideal for which America stands. They are attacking the undocumented with no criminal records, documented, immigrants, and citizens alike. This is atrocious."

A resident of Hagerstown wrote: "This detention facility does not belong in Washington County, Md. It will cause increased fees for residents by increasing water/ sewer bills. These bills are already high. It could possibly cause environmental problems in the form of increased pollution from having 1500 people in a warehouse not designed for this use."

A resident of Frederick County wrote: "DHS launching a new environmental review doesn't make this project any more acceptable - it only underscores how aggressively ICE is still trying to force a massive detention complex into Washington County despite overwhelming community opposition, serious environmental risks, and the complete mismatch between this industrial-scale proposal and the character, infrastructure, and values of the region. A 1,500-bed detention warehouse and a 750,000-gallon water tank would strain local systems, threaten nearby wells, and permanently alter the landscape, all while expanding a detention model that Marylanders have repeatedly rejected as inhumane and unnecessary. No amount of procedural paperwork changes the fundamental truth: this facility is the wrong project in the wrong place, and the community has every right to continue fighting it."

A resident of Middletown wrote: "Humans who have committed the misdemeanor of being in the United States illegally do not deserve the cruel and unusual punishment of detention of unknown duration in a warehouse. Marylanders cannot trust the current leadership of ICE to develop and manage a large-scale facility for housing people, as the frequent whistleblower reports around the nation prove."

A resident of Frederick wrote: "As an infectious disease physician, in ADDITION to all the above, I am concerned about overcrowding and poor sanitation resulting in promotion of communicable infectious diseases which is a serious concern both for the occupants and the community. Too many people, too crowded, with poor medical facilities. Sounds concentration camp like, not something the US should be associated with or promoting."

Read the Congresswoman's letter to see more comments from Sixth District constituents.

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For updates, follow Rep. McClain Delaney at @RepAprilDelaney.

Congresswoman April McClain Delaney was elected in 2024 to serve Maryland's 6th Congressional District, which encompasses all or part of Montgomery, Frederick, Washington, Allegany and Garrett Counties. In Congress, McClain Delaney is focused on improving US competitiveness and innovation, protecting our natural environment and championing policies that represent the values and priorities of Maryland's 6th District.