Overview
- ICE confirmed it bought a 54-acre warehouse at 16220 Wright Road near Hagerstown for roughly $102 million to convert into a facility holding about 1,500 people, saying it will meet regular detention standards.
- Washington County commissioners unanimously approved a resolution expressing full support for DHS and ICE, then halted the meeting as protests inside the room escalated and the live stream was cut.
- U.S. Rep. April McClain Delaney introduced the Keep ICE Out of Washington County, Maryland Act to bar use of federal appropriations for the project and to allow residents and officials to challenge it in court.
- Maryland’s U.S. senators Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks, along with Rep. Delaney, pressed county leaders in a letter about public health, infrastructure, and human-rights risks tied to converting a warehouse for detention.
- Gov. Wes Moore told DHS Secretary Kristi Noem the state stands ready to intervene and could sue if the federal government cut corners, with state agencies reviewing permitting, utilities, and emergency service impacts.