A federal judge on Wednesday extended a halt on work to convert an 825,000-square-foot Maryland warehouse into an immigrant detention facility, issuing a preliminary injunction that will remain in place until the state’s lawsuit is resolved. The Department of Homeland Security purchased the building near Hagerstown for $102.4 million in January and had planned to house between 500 and 1,500 detainees there. The ruling limits contractors to only minor work — fence installation and heating and cooling upgrades — while the case proceeds.
The decision marks the latest legal setback for a DHS program to convert industrial warehouses into detention facilities nationwide, with three federal lawsuits now pending and DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin conducting a review of the broader warehouse plan amid intense community opposition.
A federal judge on Wednesday blocked major construction work on a massive Maryland warehouse that the Trump administration purchased to hold immigrant detainees, issuing a preliminary injunction that will remain in force until a state lawsuit challenging the project is resolved.
The ruling extends a short-term order the judge had issued earlier and limits contractors to only minor work — fence installation and heating and cooling upgrades — at the 825,000-square-foot building near Hagerstown.
The facility and the lawsuit
The Department of Homeland Security bought the Washington County warehouse in January for $102.4 million. Federal officials planned to house between 500 and 1,500 detainees there, and the site was intended to be among the first to open under a program that purchased 11 warehouses nationwide for conversion into immigrant processing and detention facilities.
Maryland sued, alleging the federal government failed to conduct required environmental reviews before the purchase, did not notify the public that the building sits in a flood plain, and waited more than a month after buying the property before seeking public comment. When the public comment period closed on March 5, Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued a $113 million renovation contract the following day, with work originally expected to finish by May 4.
A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order halting that work. After a Wednesday hearing, the court agreed to the longer-term preliminary injunction.
Reactions
DHS said in a statement that it strongly disagrees with the ruling.
“Let’s be honest about what is happening,” the statement said. “This isn’t about the environment. It’s about trying to stop President Trump from making America safe.”
In an earlier court filing, the federal government said “ICE is reconsidering the plans and scope of the warehouse.” DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin is also conducting a broader review of the warehouse conversion program, according to the Associated Press, amid fierce opposition in communities across the country.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore called the preliminary injunction a “major and welcome step forward.” Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said it proves that “no one, not even the federal government, is above the law.”
State Delegate Matthew Schindler, who has opposed the warehouse, said the administration’s approach was “outpacing accountability.”
“We don’t want to see our community compromised because corners were cut,” Schindler said.
Broader opposition
Washington County officials approved a proclamation declaring their “unwavering support” for DHS and ICE, but legal and community challenges have mounted in the months since the purchases were announced. Opponents elsewhere have argued that water and sewage infrastructure is inadequate for facilities of the proposed scale.
Kyle McCarthy, of Hagerstown Rapid Response, said the local fight has drawn national attention.
“Washington County has become basically ground zero for all these warehouse fights,” McCarthy said. “We’ve helped show a blueprint for how other communities can fight and stop these from happening. We’ve been throwing sand in the gears at every possible moment.”
The Maryland lawsuit is one of three pending in federal courts challenging warehouse conversion projects.