A federal judge has ordered a temporary halt to construction of a proposed immigration detention facility in Maryland, citing concerns over environmental impacts and regulatory compliance.
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Brenden Hurson issued a preliminary injunction stopping the federal government’s plan to convert a large warehouse in Washington County into a detention center designed to hold up to 1,500 individuals.
The ruling pauses most construction activity while legal challenges proceed, allowing only limited work such as HVAC repairs and the installation of basic security measures, including fencing and surveillance systems.
The injunction stems from a lawsuit filed by the state, which argues that the project could cause “irreparable harm” to the surrounding environment and community. State officials contend that federal agencies failed to conduct adequate environmental assessments before moving forward with the project.
“Prior to our lawsuit, DHS and ICE were moving rapidly to construct a large immigration detention facility near Williamsport. Even their legal obligations under federal law did not slow these efforts, as they continued a lawless pursuit to detain as many immigrants as possible,” said Anthony Brown.
“Today’s preliminary injunction is a major victory that stops federal authorities from irreversibly damaging our waterways, our environment, and our communities before our lawsuit is even decided. And it ensures that the federal government cannot rush through the legal process required to open this facility in its frenzy to carry out its deportation goals.”
Legal advocates also supported the decision.
“It’s a real testament to how important it is for community members to pay attention to what's happening in their backyards,” said Sonia Kumar.
A central issue in the case involves infrastructure limitations, particularly wastewater capacity. State officials argue the facility, which currently has minimal plumbing, would generate significantly more wastewater than local systems can handle.
“A facility this size would generate nearly four times more wastewater than the site was designed for, risking sewage overflows on the property and backups throughout the surrounding community, increased traffic, air quality impacts and the burden of local emergency services were never assessed,” Brown said.
The state also raised concerns about potential impacts on endangered species, traffic congestion and strain on emergency services.
Judge Hurson questioned the federal government’s approach, noting that environmental reviews appeared to be conducted after key project decisions had already been made.
“It sounds to me like in this situation, things went completely backwards, and we're doing the [environmental review] at the end, when [it] should have been done, and at the beginning,” he said.
The project involves retrofitting an approximately 820,000-square-foot warehouse acquired by federal authorities. The contract to renovate the facility was awarded for more than $100 million, with options that could increase total project costs significantly.
The federal government used a contracting mechanism known as WEXMAC, traditionally deployed for military and disaster response operations, to expedite acquisition and development of the site.
The preliminary injunction will remain in effect while the case proceeds. A future status conference is expected to determine next steps, including whether additional environmental assessments will be required and if construction can resume under revised conditions.
The case highlights growing legal and community scrutiny of large-scale federal construction projects, particularly those involving sensitive environmental and infrastructure considerations.
Originally reported by Scott Maucione in WYPR.
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