Residents raise questions about proposed ICE processing center at Upper Bern Township meeting

U. BERN TWP., Pa. — A meeting in Upper Bern Township Thursday night focused on questions and concerns about a proposed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center tied to a warehouse the federal government recently purchased.

State Rep. Jamie Barton, a Republican who serves parts of Berks and Schuylkill counties, opened the discussion by telling residents he was there to listen.

“Unfortunately, I wish I had more answers to give the people, but there's a lot of questions and not a lot of answers,” Barton said of ICE’s plans for the facility.

And the questions came quickly.

Residents raised concerns about security, traffic, water and sewer infrastructure, and what the project could mean for schools, parks and first responders if it moves forward.

Susan Leiby of Hamburg was among those who spoke during the meeting.

“It just does not make any sense. This was poor planning on the part of the federal government,” Leiby said. “And I will also say this, that three times this week, I attempted to contact Senators Fetterman, McCormick, and Representative Meuser.

“I got absolutely no response from them,” she said.

Leiby says she is part of a bipartisan community group. She says Republicans, Democrats and independents are all showing up, united by concern over what this facility could mean for Upper Bern Township and nearby communities.

“The people are here today because one of the things is that this puts a lot of burden on this township,” said Gene Stilp.

Barton says local leaders have been told the site in Upper Bern could hold 1,500 beds as a processing center, where people would stay three to five days before possibly being moved to a detention facility in Schuylkill County with around 7,500 beds.

Another concern raised during the meeting was taxes.

“The federal government doesn't pay property taxes,” Barton said. “So the federal government is saying, ‘Hey, look, we want to make you whole.’ Again, they haven't put this in writing. So they're talking about a bed tax. And what it would be is giving that money back to the county.”

Barton says making sure the community does not lose that revenue is a major focus.

“We cannot lose this money. This is real revenue that comes back to help us,” he said “and so we've been very adamant about that.”