County council opposes ICE property sales in symbolic vote - The Lafayette

After Immigration and Customs Enforcement purchased two Pennsylvania warehouses to be used as detention centers, Northampton County Council recently approved a symbolic resolution opposing county property sales to ICE.

The resolution, passed by a 5-3 vote with one abstention at the council’s March 5 meeting, carries no legal authority.

“When the federal government comes in and buys property, it becomes tax-exempt federal land,” said Jeff Warren, a councilman who voted in favor of the resolution.

The resolution followed ICE’s two warehouse purchases in Berks and Schuylkill County earlier in the year. Gov. Josh Shapiro spoke out against the efforts last month, and residents in both counties have expressed reservations.

Six warehouses of at least 500,000 square feet are available for lease or sale in Northampton County, according to the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation’s online database.

“Counties are extremely concerned about what they would need to actually house tens of thousands of human beings in their backyards,” Warren said of the possibility of local detention centers.

“Other communities have estimated losing hundreds of thousands of dollars annually,” Warren continued, noting a belief that costs would be shifted to residents’ pockets. “There are a plethora of issues and questions that have been unanswered.”

Councilman David Holland, who voted against the resolution, said he believed the county did not have the authority to attempt to influence landowners’ actions.

“I thought telling private landowners what they can and can’t do with their property was a bit of an overreach,” said Holland; his motion to remove a section encouraging landowners not to sell their property in the resolution was denied.

“A property owner has the right to sell their property to any legal entity they want to,” Holland continued. “That’s the whole basis of property rights.”

Councilwoman Lori Vargo Heffner also voted against the resolution; she similarly stressed the county had no authority.

Warren, meanwhile, stated that the council possesses the authority to pass non-binding suggestions to residents.

“That very well falls within our purview as local leaders to step up to the plate and put forth a message,” Warren said. “This was simply a message to folks saying we care about our local communities at the end of the day.”

Government & Law professor John Kincaid wrote in an email that the resolution carried limited legal power, but the decision “may signal that the county will use its regulatory authority, such as zoning, to try and discourage ICE from purchasing certain properties.”

“ICE can open a detention facility in Northampton County even if the county opposes it,” Kincaid wrote.

Harrison Meyer ‘29 contributed reporting.