U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has dropped its plan to convert two warehouses in rural Pennsylvania into detention centers, halting a proposal that would have housed thousands of individuals.
The agency withdrew its appeal of the state's denial of drinking water and wastewater permits for facilities in Berks and Schuylkill counties. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection had cited inadequate local water and wastewater services as a concern for supporting the large number of inhabitants envisioned by ICE.
In a letter to the DEP, ICE stated that it has "considered the final use it will make of this property, and it hereby informs DEP that it will not be using this property as a detention center." The agency did not specify any alternative plans for the warehouses.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, commented that the warehouses "are not suitable for people and converting them to detention centers would have posed serious risks to the health, safety, and infrastructure of the surrounding communities."
The initiative was part of a larger, $38 billion plan by former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to rapidly expand detention capacity. This plan began to falter last month when the purchase of new warehouses was paused by Noem's successor, Markwayne Mullin. The warehousing acquisitions were reportedly made with limited public knowledge, leading to surprise and anger in affected communities when local officials learned of the agency's intentions after leases or purchases had already occurred.