Maryland Community Pushes Back as DHS Pauses Controversial ICE Warehouse Detention Plan

HAGERSTOWN, Md. — The fight over a sprawling warehouse in Washington County, Maryland, intended to become an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility, has reached a fever pitch. Protesters regularly gather outside county meetings, blasting horns and chanting “Stop ICE!” to voice their outrage.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) purchased the 825,000-square-foot building as part of a broader, billion-dollar plan to transform warehouses across the country into detention centers for thousands of immigrants. But the plan has encountered fierce resistance nationwide, and now the Maryland project is paused amid legal challenges and growing community backlash.

“This is a facility built for packages, not people,” said Patrick Dattilio, founder of Hagerstown Rapid Response, an anti-ICE group. His words capture the core of local frustration: a massive building designed for shipping goods is now slated to hold human beings in detention.

Washington County officials have found themselves caught in the middle. At a February meeting, county commissioners declared their “unwavering support” for DHS and ICE, a move met with loud boos and protests so intense the meeting had to be cleared. Despite their vocal support, commissioners insisted their hands were tied since the federal government had already purchased the building.

The county also submitted a list of infrastructure needs to then-DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, highlighting hundreds of millions of dollars in sewer, airport, and highway upgrades they expected in exchange for hosting the facility. Meanwhile, ICE signed a $113 million contract to renovate the warehouse to house between 500 and 1,500 detainees.

However, Maryland’s attorney general sued to halt the project, citing concerns over the facility’s suitability and the lack of community input. A judge temporarily stopped renovation work, and a hearing is scheduled for mid-April.

Local residents express deep frustration not only with the plan itself but also with the secrecy surrounding the purchase. Carroll Sager, a protester holding a sign that read “Disenfranchised in Washington County,” said, “We have had no voice in this.”

The Maryland warehouse is just one flashpoint in a national controversy. Across the country, communities have pushed back against DHS’s warehouse-to-detention center conversions. Lawsuits in New Jersey and Michigan challenge the government’s lack of transparency and alternative site choices. Some towns have threatened to cut off water supplies to these facilities, as seen in Georgia and Pennsylvania.

Questions also swirl around the price DHS paid for these warehouses, with some purchases made at multiples above assessed values, raising red flags about potential overpayments or mismanagement.

Since taking office, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin has paused new warehouse purchases and is reviewing contracts signed under his predecessor. At his confirmation hearing, Mullin promised to be a “good partner” with communities but did not commit to continuing the warehouse detention policy.

In a recent court filing, DHS acknowledged it is “reconsidering the plans and scope” of the Maryland warehouse project. The department’s statement to the press was cautious, noting only that it is “reviewing agency policies and proposals” as part of the transition.

Meanwhile, neighbors and activists remain on edge. The Maryland site was slated to serve as a processing center for immigrants arrested in the Baltimore area, easing pressure on existing ICE facilities, some of which have been criticized for unsanitary conditions and health risks.

For residents like Nica Sutch, who has lived in western Maryland for decades, the warehouse’s transformation from a bustling distribution hub to a detention center is a bitter blow. The community’s resistance is about more than just a building — it’s about standing against a system that dehumanizes immigrants and erodes local voices.

As the legal battle unfolds and DHS weighs its next moves, Washington County’s residents are watching closely, determined to hold the line against a facility they never wanted and a federal government that pushed it on them without consent.