ICE Battles Pennsylvania to Keep Water and Sewage Access for New Detention Centers

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is pushing back against Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) orders that effectively block water and sewage access at two new detention centers planned in Berks and Schuylkill counties. The agency filed an appeal Wednesday, claiming the state’s restrictions interfere with its ability to enforce immigration laws.

The controversy centers on two massive warehouses recently purchased by ICE for detention use: a 7,500-person facility in Tremont Township, Schuylkill County, and a 1,500-person center in Upper Bern Township, Berks County. DEP orders bar ICE from connecting to local water and sewage systems until detailed infrastructure plans are submitted — even denying access to drinking water and bathrooms for security personnel.

ICE’s attorney Daniel Wilmouth accuses Pennsylvania officials of “antipathy” toward the agency, pointing to Governor Josh Shapiro’s vow to use “every tool” to stop the centers. Wilmouth argues the DEP’s broad administrative orders prevent ICE from fulfilling basic safety needs like fire prevention and public safety.

Local communities are reeling. Both properties have been removed from tax rolls since ICE’s purchase in January, costing nearly $1 million annually in lost revenue to township, county, and school districts. The Tremont Township hit alone equals almost half its budget. County officials say the Pine Grove Area School District faces a worsening $1.3 million deficit without the warehouse taxes.

Residents and local leaders are alarmed by the strain these detention centers could place on already stretched water supplies, sewage systems, roads, hospitals, and emergency responders. Neither township has its own police force, relying instead on Pennsylvania State Police, who have yet to clarify coordination plans with ICE.

County Commissioner Larry Padora says local officials want a memorandum of understanding to address tax payments, infrastructure costs, and access for local firefighters and paramedics to tour the facilities. ICE has floated a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes offer for “at least” three years, but details remain vague.

Community voices are blunt. Sarah Monger of Tremont called the warehouses “another vile stain on the United States conscience” during a public meeting. While some support tougher immigration enforcement, nearly everyone agrees the rural area is ill-equipped for the influx these detention centers represent.

As ICE battles Pennsylvania’s environmental restrictions, the state’s residents face the human and financial costs of these sprawling detention projects — costs that local leaders say remain unaddressed and unacceptable. The fight over water and sewage access is just the latest front in a broader clash between federal immigration enforcement and communities pushing back against the expansion of for-profit detention centers.