Timeline

Timeline of the Proposed ICE Detention Warehouse in Washington County, Maryland

December 9, 2025

  • Hagerstown Rapid Response later uncovers that the Washington County Commissioners had been presented with a confidential project while operating under a signed non-disclosure agreement (NDA).
  • At the time, the public had no knowledge that county officials were already discussing what would eventually become one of the largest ICE detention facilities in the Mid-Atlantic region.

December 16, 2025

  • The Washington County Commissioners enter into a closed session to discuss the acquisition of property.
  • The meeting occurs just one week after county officials signed the NDA related to the confidential project.
  • The public remains completely unaware that discussions involving the future ICE detention warehouse may already be underway.

December 22, 2025

  • Representative April McClain Delaney publicly reverses her position on the Laken Riley Act, legislation she had previously supported.
  • The timing raises questions about whether Delaney had become aware of DHS plans to purchase a warehouse in her congressional district for use as an ICE processing and detention facility.

December 24, 2025

  • The Washington Post reports that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is considering purchasing a massive industrial warehouse near Hagerstown for immigration detention operations.
  • The article catches local officials and residents off guard and marks the first public indication that the site may become an ICE detention center.

January 14, 2026

  • Washington County officials later claim this was the first day they were formally notified by DHS about the project.
  • This assertion later comes under scrutiny after records reveal county officials had participated in confidential discussions weeks earlier under an NDA and had held a closed session discussing property acquisition in December.

January 16, 2026

  • DHS completes the purchase of the approximately 825,000-square-foot warehouse at:
    • 10900 Hopewell Road
    • 16220 Wright Road
  • Purchase price is reported to be approximately $102.4 million.
  • The facility sits on roughly 54 acres adjacent to the CSX rail line in Williamsport.

February 2026

  • Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown files suit challenging the legality of the project and arguing DHS failed to comply with federal environmental review requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
  • The lawsuit alleges that DHS attempted to move forward with the project without conducting the environmental review required under federal law.
  • Community members begin organizing opposition efforts.

February 10, 2026

  • The Washington County Board of County Commissioners publicly endorses the project.
  • Commissioners refuse to allow public comment regarding the detention center, a policy that continues for nearly a year.

February-March 2026

  • Hagerstown Rapid Response and forms and begins organizing weekly demonstrations along with Washington County Indivisible
  • Weekly protests begin outside Washington County Commissioners meetings who refuse to allow any public comment.

March 3, 2026

  • Large demonstrations occur both in Hagerstown outside Washington County Commissioners meetings who refuse to allow any public comment.

March 6, 2026

  • DHS awards an approximately $641 million contract to KVG of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania to renovate and operate the facility for at least three years.
  • The contract confirms federal plans to move forward with detention operations.

March-April 2026

  • Renovation work begins, including:
    • HVAC installation
    • Security infrastructure
    • Administrative office construction
    • Perimeter fencing
    • Camera systems

April 15, 2026

  • A federal judge extends a preliminary injunction limiting portions of construction activity.
  • The court allows some work to continue, including HVAC systems and an eight-foot security fence.
  • During litigation, DHS acknowledges that the project requires environmental review under NEPA.

April-May 2026

  • Evidence emerges that the facility is expected to generate roughly 187,000 to 200,000 gallons of wastewater per day.
  • Concerns grow regarding:
    • Existing wastewater capacity limitations.
    • Potential impacts to Semple Run.
    • Downstream impacts to the Conococheague Creek and Potomac River watershed.
    • Floodplain and stormwater issues.

May 12, 2026

  • Washington County commissioners approve more than $118,000 in riot-control equipment purchases while demonstrations continue around the county.

May 13, 2026

  • The Wall Street Journal reports that the DHS Office of Inspector General has opened an audit into the administration’s broader warehouse-to-detention-center program worth approximately $38 billion.

May 21, 2026

  • County commissioners hold a special meeting and approve a consulting contract with former county administrator Greg Murray to study water, sewer, and growth issues in Washington County.
  • Critics note the irony that county officials are studying infrastructure constraints while simultaneously supporting an ICE detention center projected to generate nearly 200,000 gallons of wastewater per day.

June 1, 2026

  • DHS begins accepting public comments as part of the environmental review process, with comments scheduled to be accepted through July 1.
  • This public comment period exists only because the State of Maryland successfully forced DHS into compliance with federal environmental law through litigation.
  • Attorney General Anthony Brown’s lawsuit challenged DHS’s attempt to fast-track the project without conducting the environmental review required under NEPA.
  • The lawsuit argued that DHS had failed to adequately evaluate impacts on local waterways, wastewater systems, traffic, emergency services, public health, air quality, and surrounding communities.

Early June 2026

  • DHS officially opens the NEPA public scoping process for the project.
  • The agency states that it is “not aware of any potential for significant environmental impacts” associated with opening the detention facility.

Early June 2026

  • Hagerstown Rapid Response launches a public comment campaign at NoKingsNoCamps.com to generate public participation during the 30-day comment period.
  • The campaign seeks to increase public engagement and ensure residents across Maryland and neighboring states are aware of the proposed facility and its potential impacts.

June 2026

  • DHS releases additional details indicating the facility was designed to hold up to 1,500 detainees and would include a 750,000-gallon water tank.
  • Section 106 historic preservation review formally begins.

June 30, 2026 – 11:59 PM

  • Hagerstown Rapid Response’s public comment campaign at NoKingsNoCamps.com concludes with more than 4,300 public comments opposing the project submitted to DHS.
  • The campaign generates opposition from residents throughout Maryland and neighboring states connected through the Potomac watershed and regional infrastructure systems.

July 1, 2026

  • The formal public comment period closes.
  • Opponents argue the process cannot be considered legitimate because the public was asked to comment on environmental impacts without access to the underlying evidence DHS relied upon to reach its conclusions.
  • Just hours after our public comment campaign ended, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown submitted comments to DHS asking for many of the same things that thousands concerned citizens had spent the last month demanding.\Brown called on DHS to release the studies underlying its conclusions, provide another public comment period once those studies become available, and prepare a full Environmental Impact Statement rather than the more limited Environmental Assessment currently being pursued by the agency. He also urged DHS to consider selling the warehouse rather than moving forward with plans to convert it into an immigration detention center.

July 4, 2026

  • Hagerstown Rapid Response relaunches its public comment campaign at NoKingsNoCamps.com after DHS fails to release the environmental studies, infrastructure assessments, engineering reports, and supporting analyses that led the agency to conclude it was “not aware of any potential for significant environmental impacts.”
  • Organizers argue that meaningful public participation is impossible when the public is denied access to the same information DHS relied upon to reach its conclusions.
  • The campaign calls for DHS to release the underlying studies and reopen the public comment process so residents can evaluate the evidence for themselves before submitting informed comments.

July 2026 and Beyond

  • Litigation remains ongoing.
  • NEPA and Section 106 reviews continue.
  • Community organizations continue protests, public outreach, and legal advocacy.