The State of Maryland filed a high-stakes federal lawsuit on Monday, attempting to stop the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from converting a massive vacant warehouse into a 1,500-bed immigration detention facility. The legal challenge, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, claims the federal government is “running roughshod” over environmental laws and local interests in its rush to expand its deportation infrastructure.
At the heart of the dispute is an 825,000-square-foot “mega warehouse” in Williamsport, a small town of about 2,000 people. Federal officials purchased the property in January for $102.4 million. Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown argues that the feds skipped mandatory environmental reviews and failed to consult with state leaders before finalizing the deal.
According to the complaint, this project is part of a broader national strategy by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to overhaul how it handles detentions.
The lawsuit highlights comments from ICE leadership aiming to make deportation activities operate “like Amazon Prime, but with human beings.” To achieve this, the agency is reportedly buying up industrial warehouses across the country to turn them into large-scale processing hubs.
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Maryland officials expressed specific concerns about the impact such a large facility would have on local infrastructure. The lawsuit notes that the warehouse currently has only four toilets and two water fountains.
Converting it to house 1,500 people would require a massive plumbing overhaul that could overwhelm the local sewer system. State environmental experts warned that sewage overflows could contaminate Semple Run, a nearby stream that feeds into the Potomac River and serves as a habitat for protected species like the Allegheny pearl dace.
The state also pointed to public health risks, citing recent reports of measles outbreaks and unsanitary conditions at other large-scale detention centers. “In their zeal to purchase and convert the Williamsport Warehouse,” the complaint states, “Defendants have… trampled on the State’s interests.”
The lawsuit asks a federal judge to void the purchase of the warehouse and block any further construction or retrofitting. Maryland argues that under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the federal government was required to study the “reasonably foreseeable” effects on air quality, traffic, and wildlife before committing $102 million in taxpayer funds.
The defendants named in the suit include DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and senior ICE official Todd Lyons. Federal agencies typically do not comment on pending litigation, but internal documents cited in the lawsuit suggest ICE believes it is complying with all necessary regulations.
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