Governor Josh Shapiro vowed to “aggressively pursue every option” and use “every single bit of power” to prevent the opening of a massive new immigration detention facility in Berks County.
“I’ve obviously been very outspoken about the violation of constitutional rights at the hands of ICE, and I continue to believe that they are on a failed mission directed by President Trump and Secretary Noem, and they are violating people’s constitutional rights all across this country,” Shapiro said during a press conference.
In a formal letter sent to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Shapiro and members of his cabinet warned that the proposed conversion of a 520,000-square-foot warehouse in Upper Bern Township would jeopardize the health and safety of local residents and overwhelm rural infrastructure.
The dispute centers on a vacant logistics center at 3501 Mountain Road, recently purchased by the federal government for $87.4 million. While federal officials intend to use the site as a processing center for up to 1,500 individuals, Shapiro’s administration argues the plan is a “recipe for disaster” for the small community.
Key objections raised by the Governor include:
Infrastructure Strain: State officials claim the facility would generate 14 times the legally permitted amount of wastewater for the site, potentially contaminating local drinking water.
Emergency Services: The influx of thousands of detainees and staff would “divert vital services” from county residents and overextend local first responders.
Economic Impact: Converting the warehouse to a federal facility would strip the community of critical property tax revenue used for local schools and services.
Civil Rights: Shapiro criticized the federal government’s “secretive” purchase and cited concerns over the use of “excessive force” by federal agents in recent nationwide enforcement actions.
In a move to block the project, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Health signaled they would deny necessary state permits.
“If reporting about DHS’s plans is accurate, the facilities will violate legal requirements applicable to public drinking water, sewage, and water pollution,” the cabinet secretaries wrote. “State authorities will not issue required permits that would violate these legal requirements.”
While the federal government often claims “federal preemption” to bypass local zoning, Shapiro indicated his legal team is exploring every avenue to halt the project, drawing comparisons to a recent lawsuit filed by Maryland’s Attorney General over similar warehouse conversions.
The controversy comes just years after the 2023 closure of the Berks County Residential Center, which followed a decade of intense local activism. Residents in Upper Bern Township, a rural area of fewer than 2,000 people, have expressed shock at the scale of the new proposal.
