HAGERSTOWN, Maryland — Protests have intensified in western Maryland after plans to convert a warehouse into an immigration detention facility were temporarily halted by a federal judge.
The Department of Homeland Security had approved a $113 million contract to renovate an 825,000-square-foot building in Washington County into a facility capable of housing 500 to 1,500 detainees. However, Maryland’s attorney general filed a lawsuit challenging the project, leading a judge to pause construction ahead of a scheduled April 15 hearing.
Residents and activists have voiced opposition, arguing they were not consulted before the federal government purchased the site. Demonstrators gathered outside county meetings, with some calling the facility “built for packages, not people.”
Local officials have expressed support for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, passing a proclamation backing the agency, though meetings have drawn loud protests. The project is part of a broader federal plan to convert warehouses nationwide into detention centers as part of expanded immigration enforcement efforts.
The Department of Homeland Security has since paused additional warehouse acquisitions and is reviewing contracts tied to the initiative. Similar legal and political challenges have emerged in other states, reflecting broader tensions over immigration policy and local control.
The future of the Maryland facility remains uncertain as court proceedings continue.
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