Officials representing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have stated that the agency has purchased a currently vacated warehouse in Orange County, New York that will be converted into a detention center with a capacity to house up to 1,500 illegal immigrants at a time, reports say.
The warehouse, located on a a nearly 40-acre plot of land at 39 Elizabeth Drive in Chester, is the former location of a Pep Boys distribution warehouse.
However, the plans by ICE are being opposed by the local municipality, with Chester Town Supervisor Brandon Holdridge expressing concerns to the local media about the warehouse being situated within a flood zone, are well ability of the sewer system at the site being able to handle the needs of well over 1,000 people.
Legal action against ICE is a possibility, Holdridge noted, adding that there is local opposition to the agency setting up shop in their town.
“My residents don’t want this here. I don’t think the majority of Orange County wants this here," Holdridge said, pointing out that the warehouse is located less than 1,000 feet from a youth sports training complex.
If plans for the detention center go forward, it would see the construction of holding areas, a guard building and an outdoor recreation space, in addition to the installation of fencing and other work to transform the building into a secure holding facility.
An ICE spokesperson said that they agency plans to do whatever they can to make sure the detention center is safe and secure, and that the concerns of local residents will be addressed.
"These will be very well-structured detention facilities meeting our regular detention standards," the spokesperson said. "Sites will undergo 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 Chester facility and its construction are expected to bring more than 1,246 jobs to the area and would contribute $153.4 million to GDP. It’s also projected to bring in more than $37.2 million in tax revenue."
However, local politicians have pointed out that, if the warehouse we to become owned by the federal government, it would come at the cost of $520,000 in annual taxes that the community would now miss out on, in addition to the added work it would make for local municipal services.