When Nica Sutch bought her home in Washington County, Maryland, almost 30 years ago, it was perfect for her young family. She loved being in a quiet, wooded area outside Hagerstown and thought she would remain in her home forever.
Plans for an ICE detention center within sight of her home have changed everything.
“I definitely am planning to move. I won’t stay here in the future,” she told the News4 I-Team.
A few years ago, the farm across the street was replaced by a 825,000-square-foot warehouse built on 54 acres. Neighbors said it’s been empty since then. What is moving in is leading Sutch to think about moving out, she said.
“I haven’t heard anyone that’s actually for it,” she said.
The I-Team is uncovering more about how the building will be used and what it could mean for the surrounding community. Until recently, there have been few public details about the project, leading to a lawsuit from the state and almost weekly protests by some residents who feel they have been left out of the approval process.
The Department of Homeland Security bought the property in February to renovate it into a detention center – the only one in Maryland. The facility will accommodate as many as 1,500 detainees. But county officials say DHS told them on most days, 500 beds would be used.
Community pushback was immediate. In early February, the Washington County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution fully supporting DHS and ICE, to vocal opposition from some residents, who booed and blew whistles at a meeting seen on video.
When it comes to the detention facility, a county spokesperson told the I-Team the county “has no role in this project.”
‘As un-American as it gets’
Resident Patrick Dattilio founded the group Hagerstown Rapid Response to oppose the facility.
“It’s as un-American as it gets,” he said.
Dattilio said the community has been left out of the planning process. His group has documented work on the facility.
“We have photographs of trailer toilets being brought in, of potable water being brought in,” he said.
DHS awarded the defense contractor KVG, of Pennsylvania, a three-year, $641 million contract to renovate and run the facility.
County officials say they’ve been told KVG will decide what changes need to happen for the building to hold detainees, including additional water, wastewater or infrastructure, and that any renovations would be paid for by the federal government.
The I-Team asked KVG about a timeline for opening the facility but hasn’t heard back.
The warehouse has 4 toilets so far, Maryland’s attorney general says
The city of Hagerstown provides water for nearby jurisdictions, including Williamsport. Communications Director Wes Decker said the empty warehouse is allocated for 800 gallons per day and no requests have been made to change that allocation by anyone associated with the project.
“We’re the ones who ultimately make the decisions on who gets water,” he said.
Approval for more water can take six months or more, and it’s unusual that no one has reached out, Decker said.
“Just like you’re here today asking these questions, you know, we’re sort of asking these questions too. When will this happen? When will this conversation occur?” he asked.
For now, any work on the facility is paused because of a temporary restraining order that was recently extended to mid-April after a lawsuit Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown filed against DHS.
The state alleges the construction could overwhelm existing sewer lines and harm protected waterways nearby.
“How do you outfit a warehouse, 105,000 square feet, that today only has four toilets and two water fountains, yet in some time the Homeland Security wants to house 1,500 detainees? Think about the water and sewer impacts,” Brown said.
Brown said the state can’t stop DHS from building a detention center. But he said in the lawsuit that DHS must conduct appropriate environmental impact studies, noting it’s done that in other states when building facilities.
“If the court does ultimately allow them to move forward, we are going to be asking that every single requirement for fire, codes, water and sewer, for other public health issues, environment issues, are met, that they meet the standards to ensure that it’s a safely run facility,” he said.
ICE promises 1,125 jobs and $120 million in contributions
An ICE spokesperson told the I-Team: “These will be very well-structured detention facilities meeting our regular detention standards. Sites have undergone community impact studies and a rigorous due diligence process to make sure there is no hardship on local utilities or infrastructure prior to purchase. “
The spokesperson said the Williamsport facility will bring 1,125 jobs to the area and contribute $120 million.
News4 asked ICE for a copy of any impact study and have not heard back. We also contacted every Washington County commissioner for comment. They have repeatedly said they have no involvement in the construction of the facility.
Last week, the commissioners released a statement after meeting with DHS for the first time, saying the building will be a booking facility and not a detention center and that detainees would be held for three to seven days on average before being transferred to out-of-state detention centers. That contradicts the statement from ICE to News4, which called it a detention facility.
The local NAACP chapter sent a letter to the company contracted to fill those jobs, asking them to stop advertising since there’s a pending lawsuit.
“We are strategically trying every other effort we can to make this not happen,” Taj Smith, with the group, said.
She said local government officials have not been open to informing the community about the project.
Washington County is a Republican stronghold in a mostly Democratic state. Williamsport strongly supported President Donald Trump and his immigration policies.
“A lot of people don’t mind what’s happening when it comes to immigration. They don’t want to see it in their backyard,” Smith said.
For Sutch, it’s happening in her front yard, and she wants to change the view.
“That’s what’s mostly disappointing, that decisions were made without talking to the neighborhood and the people who actually are going to live through this,” she said.
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Reported by Tracee Wilkins, produced by Rick Yarborough, shot by Carlos Olazagasti and Jeff Piper, and edited by Jeff Piper.
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