Elected officials at the federal level are beginning to break their silence over the recent purchases of empty warehouses in Schuylkill and Berks counties, with plans to turn them into ICE detention centers.
US Sen. John Fetterman says he’s written a letter to Dept. of Homeland Security Sect. Kristi Noem detailing concerns he has with the proposed facilities in Tremont and Upper Bern townships.
Last Monday (Feb. 2), deeds were recorded in Schuylkill County for the former Big Lots Distribution Center in Tremont Township and for an empty warehouse in Upper Bern Township in Berks County.
For the facility in Tremont, the US government paid the previous owner $119 million in cash for the property. At Wednesday’s Schuylkill County Commissioners meeting, it was announced that the Tremont facility will house up to 7,500 ICE detainees, with the goal of processing them out for deportation in up to 90 days after their arrival there.
Little else has been disclosed of ICE’s plans for the facilities, specifically in Schuylkill County. At a capacity of 7,500, the Tremont Township detention center will be one of the largest in the country.
Local officials first expressed their concerns with inadequate water and sewer to meet the needs of a facility like that in that location. They’re also concerned about the lack of property tax revenue, since the federal government is exempt from paying property taxes.
Between Schuylkill County government, Tremont Township, and Pine Grove Area School District, nearly $1 million in property tax revenue is being lost annually now that the US government is the owner of the former Big Lots property.
Fetterman Breaks Silence on Proposed ICE Detention Centers
In his letter to Noem, Fetterman is not critical of immigration enforcement but of the potential lasting impacts the sales of these properties will have on the local communities where they’ll exist and the counties that host them.
He also wonders if the Dept. of Homeland Security did any sort of due diligence with regard to infrastructure – or lack thereof – before purchasing these properties.
“While I have been clear in my support for the enforcement of federal immigration law, this decision will do significant damage to these local tax bases, set back decades-long efforts to boost economic development, and place undue burdens on limited existing infrastructure in these communities,” Fetterman writes to Noem.
However, Fetterman expresses serious concerns for the communities impacted by the DHS purchases there.
“These facilities were purchased with no input from local or state officials, leaving these communities scrambling to understand why DHS and ICE selected them for large-scale detention operations,” he says.
Fetterman says DHS purchased these properties without considering their lack of infrastructure.
Last week, Schuylkill County Commissioners said there isn’t enough water or sewage capacity at the Tremont Township property to handle the proposed 7,500 detainees and up to 2,500 employees there.
Fetterman also echoed their concerns on the lack of local law enforcement and emergency first responders.
“To date, ICE has provided these communities with no information on how it will meet these expansive needs, and it would be wildly irresponsible to place such a burden on these communities,” Fetterman says to Noem. “It is my fear that DHS and ICE did not perform any due diligence, spending more than $200 million in tax dollars for warehouses that cannot be adequately converted and further eroding trust between Pennsylvanians and the Federal government.”
His letter concludes by asking DHS and ICE to provide his office with a briefing on the criteria the departments used to select these properties, a detailed impact assessment, a commitment that they’ll provide the necessary federal funding to upgrade the infrastructure and ongoing costs associated with the detention centers, and periods of “public engagement and dialogue with these communities.”
FULL COVERAGE
Read all our stories on this story with impacts across the coal region by following these links, including our Topic page: ICE in Schuylkill County
WaPo: ICE Processing Facility Proposed for Schuylkill County
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Meuser Challenger to Hold Town Hall on Proposed ICE Facility in Schuylkill County
Commissioners: No Evidence of a “Confirmed” Deal for ICE Facility in Schuylkill County
Commissioner Clarifies Public Remarks on Rumored ICE Facility in Tremont Twp.
New Report: Rumored Tremont ICE Facility Could Be One of Nation’s Biggest
CONFIRMED: US Government Purchases Future ICE Facilities in Schuylkill, Berks Counties
Schuylkill County Democrats Say They’ll Continue to Oppose ICE Facility in Tremont Twp.
Tremont Twp. Laments Loss of Nearly 60% of Its Property Tax Budget After Big Lots Sale to ICE
Commissioner: Tremont Twp. ICE Facility Will Be 7,500-person Detention Center
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