Administrative orders issued to DHS, local authorities over planned ICE facility in Schuylkill County

SCHUYLKILL COUNTY, Pa. — A proposed Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing facility in Schuylkill County is hitting some roadblocks.

The DHS purchased the former Big Lots warehouse in Tremont Township for $120 million late last year.

On Thursday, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection issued five administrative orders to the Department of Homeland Security and local authorities regarding the proposed facility.

The orders direct that water and sewage cannot be supplied to the former warehouse and that the building cannot be occupied until DHS demonstrates compliance with federal and state environmental regulations.

“Based on what the Department has learned about DHS’s plans to convert two commercial warehouses into detention centers for 9,000 people, there are serious concerns about the environmental impacts of these actions. The conversion of warehouses to detention facilities risks harming the communities in and around Tremont and Upper Bern townships, overwhelming their sewage facilities and exceeding the available drinking water supply,” said DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley.

“Doubling the populations of these areas could drain drinking water sources and lead to polluted waterways from overwhelmed sewage facilities leaking raw waste into our streets and rivers. Just like anyone else, DHS needs to demonstrate its facilities comply with environmental standards," Secretary Shirley said.