CHESTER, N.Y.—County and local officials have expressed disapproval of a potential Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility that could be set up in an unused warehouse in the village of Chester.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released on Jan. 8 a notice of activity for the village’s 35.9-acre Pep Boys facility, which sits on a floodplain in Chester. The document said that the location was the preferred site in the area for the department’s needs.
The DHS proposed that the property would need improvements, including internal structural changes, construction of a small guard building, creation of an outdoor recreation area, utility and stormwater improvements, and modifications to the fencing. The document does not specify how the location would be used, other than “in support of ICE operations.”
The notice said that the public could comment by contacting ICE through email by Jan. 16. It said that people who are affected by activities in a floodplain area and those who want to protect the environment should be given a chance to have their concerns heard.
The Trump administration has stepped up immigration enforcement and is expanding ICE to facilitate the deportation and apprehension of more illegal immigrants. ICE has recently increased its manpower by 120 percent and is looking to expand its bed capacity for detainees to 50,000.
“Our Hudson Valley community strongly rejects the Trump Administration’s plans for mass detention camps across the country, especially in our own backyard,” Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.), representing New York’s 18th congressional district, said in a joint statement with other local political figures on Jan. 13.
“I’m asking every member of our community to make their voices heard, as we stand together on the side of justice, accountability, and humanity.”
Ryan has started a Hudson Valley-wide petition opposing the potential ICE facility. The Chester Village Board said on Jan. 12 that there has been no communication between the village and ICE or any federal government agencies.
Town of Chester Supervisor Brandon Holdridge, who is also the Chester Democratic Committee cochair, criticized the Department of Homeland Security and voiced opposition to the proposal.
“I am against all ICE presence in Chester, N.Y.,” Holdridge told The Epoch Times on Jan. 15. “In addition, we do not want the economic disruption as well as the traffic, infrastructure, and safety concerns that would come from a project like this imposed on us.”
Holdridge said separately in a Jan. 13 post on Facebook: “I want [ICE] to stay the hell away. I’ve also reached out to County, State, and Federal representatives to find out more about what is happening.”
State Sen. James Skoufis, a Democrat, shared his thoughts on the facility in a Jan. 14 statement on Facebook, saying that he was disappointed in the lack of communication from the federal government and that the facility has been compared to an Amazon distribution warehouse in effect.
“I have significant concerns, not the least of which being the nature of the site itself, which—without capacity for sufficient sewage and located in a floodplain—doesn’t seem suited to house anything but boxes,” Skoufis said.
County Executive Steve Neuhaus, a Republican, said in a Jan. 14 video posted on Facebook that the county government has not been officially notified by the federal government about the project and that he will object to the ICE facility application. He also said he will file paperwork soon but didn’t explain exactly what the paperwork would be.
Neuhaus said that he understands why ICE would want a facility in Orange County, highlighting the nearby Stewart Airport as a useful asset for potentially moving people around and flying them out. The executive also said that he is concerned that ICE facilities in other areas have harmed local communities. He did not specify what harm he was referring to.
The Epoch Times reached out to the Chester Republican Committee and ICE for comment but did not receive a response.
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