The Schuylkill County Democratic Committee says it will continue to oppose a presumed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing center in Schuylkill County.
On Monday, a deed was recorded at Schuylkill County Courthouse that transferred a Tremont Township property – which was previously a massive Big Lots Distribution Center – to the US government on behalf of the Dept. of Homeland Security/ICE for $119 million.
Last night, Schuylkill County Democratic Party chairman Todd Zimmerman says at a meeting of the South Schuylkill Democratic Club, it was determined that the party countywide will continue to oppose the ICE facility, despite the sale.
“We’re not going to just sit by and let this happen. I felt the urgency of now so people knew we weren’t going to just sit back,” Zimmerman tells Coal Region Canary.
While he did say that protests, demonstrations, and future town halls are part of that continued opposition, the party is also exploring legal avenues.
Zimmerman says the party is also working with a “non-partisan organization” that’s currently forming to “coordinate opposition efforts and bring together multiple legal and civic resources to challenge the project,” according to a release Tuesday from the local party committee.
The party chairman believes a “majority” of people in Schuylkill County are actually opposed to the ICE facility locating in Schuylkill County.
Schuylkill County Democratic Committee released a broader statement on why it opposes the idea of a detention center locally from an ideological standpoint.
It reads:
ICE executed Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Thousands of others that are law-abiding immigrants AND American citizens have been detained and arrested. Agents are using violent methods such as breaking car windows, following school buses, using children as bait etc., to capture and kidnap people. We believe all enforcement actions must follow the law, respect constitutional rights, and involve properly trained personnel working in coordination with local law enforcement. Racial profiling should be eliminated.
We believe a secure border is necessary and that immigration policy should be set by Congress. We also believe legal immigration is vital to our nation’s future, and that anyone who commits a violent crime should be arrested, afforded full due process, and, if convicted, deported under existing law.
A bipartisan compromise was reached in early 2024 between conservative Republican Senator James Lankford, OK and the Biden Administration. However, then candidate Donald Trump ordered the Republican House to not vote for the deal. Thus, the present situation.
The party also thanked Rachel Wallace, a hopeful challenger to US Rep. Dan Meuser in this year’s election for House of Representatives in Pennsylvania’s 9th Congressional District, for hosting a town hall event last week.
“Public engagement and transparency are essential as this process moves forward,” the statement continues.
The party also spells out six local impact concerns it has with the proposed ICE facility in Tremont Township.
First is the lost property tax revenue that comes from having the federal government as the owner of such a large parcel.
Between Schuylkill County, Pine Grove Area School District, and Tremont Township, approximately $972,000 in property taxes won’t be paid this year, with more than half of that (about $555,000) not going to the school district.
The statement also raises concerns about the safety of the buildings.
“These facilities are not detention centers. They are reminiscent of the Japanese internment camps during World War II. Many people have died inside these centers,” the statement reads in part.
The local Democrats also say they’re echoing Tremont area residents who expressed concerns over public safety, noting its proximity to a daycare facility.
The party’s statement also called into question what the federal government paid for the former Big Lots warehouse. It reads that the government paid $119 million for a property with a value of $60 million.
However, according to Coal Region Canary research, the $60 million figure is actually the new assessed value of the property. It was last sold in 2020 for approximately $129 million.
Finally, there are local resources and infrastructure concerns expressed by the Democrats.
“The proposed facility will need more water and sewerage capacity than the existing facility. How will that impact the residents? Will wells go dry,” the statement asks.
And it ends with concerns about the growing number of what it sees as negatives on the landscape of western Schuylkill County, noting three “solid waste plants and a landfill” being nearby.
“This center will only lead to their misery,” the statement reads. “We stand with the citizens of Tremont and surrounding communities and will continue working through lawful, organized, and cooperative means to continue the fight against this facility.”
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